Thousands of Spaniards gathered outside the country’s parliament on Thursday to mourn Maria del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose forcible eviction from her Madrid home in late September became a catalyst for nationwide demonstrations and ultimately led to a snap general election.
Abascal died on Wednesday while hospitalized for severe anxiety and exhaustion. Although she had reached an agreement to return to her residence during her hospital stay, she passed away before she could move back in. No official cause of death has been released.
Outside her former building, mourners left flowers, candles, and handwritten notes. Demonstrators marched from the central Puerta del Sol square to the site of her eviction, chanting that the deaths resulting from the housing crisis were not accidents but “murders.”
“They killed her through heartbreak,” said Diana, a protester who highlighted the trauma of removing a woman from a home she had lived in for 70 years. “Taking an 87-year-old woman out of her home… that is killing someone,” she told Al Jazeera.
Inside the legislature, tributes to Abascal sparked heated debates, with opposition leaders accusing the ruling Socialists of exploiting the tragedy for political gain ahead of the November 29 election. Alberto Nunez Feijoo, leader of the conservative People’s Party (PP), stated that the government’s actions occurred during their eight years in power and would not succeed in manipulating public emotion.
The PP, which holds absolute majorities in the Madrid regional and local assemblies, refused to observe a minute of silence. Instead, left-leaning deputies staged a protest outside City Hall and delivered a 60-second standing ovation during a tense regional assembly session while PP lawmakers remained seated with arms folded.
Abascal’s case prompted Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to call for early elections after parliament failed to pass emergency housing measures. Public sentiment appears to side with intervention; a survey published Thursday by state pollster CIS found that 76.3 percent of Spaniards support market intervention to guarantee housing access, and 79 percent believe the right to housing should supersede its treatment as a commodity.
Ombudsman Angel Gabilondo emphasized that resolving the housing crisis requires commitment from all government levels. His office is preparing a report proposing expanded public housing, restrictions on tourist rentals, increased rent assistance, and stronger protections against evictions for vulnerable households.
I wonder if these new housing proposals will actually reach people like her, or just remain paper promises.
The PP refusing a minute of silence seems incredibly cold. How do you mourn without acknowledging grief?
76 percent support intervention? Politics must address this housing crisis, not exploit it for votes.
It breaks my heart she died before returning home. Justice delayed is justice denied for Maricarmen.