Tens of Thousands March in Madrid to Honor Pensioner at Center of Housing Crisis

Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through Madrid on Thursday to pay tribute to a pensioner whose forced eviction triggered nationwide housing protests and led to the calling of early elections. The gathering took place shortly after the death of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal on Wednesday, an event that drew crowds to Puerta del Sol, the symbolic heart of the movement where hundreds have been camping in protest.

From an improvised shrine of candles, flowers, and placards in Sol, marchers walked approximately three kilometers to Abascal’s former home in the upscale Retiro district. Abascal, who used a wheelchair, passed away in a hospital two weeks after being evicted from the apartment she had occupied for seven decades. She had been removed on a stretcher after a real estate company drastically increased her rent, becoming the face of Spain’s prolonged housing crisis.

“Maricarmen will be an icon of struggle. She has made us wake up and say ‘enough’. We cannot put up with this situation any longer,” Rosa Marin, a 48-year-old teacher, told AFP. Photography teacher Anton Alexander added, “Ultimately, Maricarmen is a symbol. I hope this is a turning point.”

Protesters of all ages participated, chanting slogans such as “they aren’t deaths, they are murders.” A provisional estimate by the central government’s delegation in the Madrid region placed the crowd size at 20,000. Marisol Gallo, 82, attended in solidarity with younger generations struggling against high rents and purchase prices. “It’s a disgrace, it’s an injustice. This struggle will continue,” she said.

At Abascal’s former residence near the UNESCO-listed Retiro Park, mourners left flowers and observed a moment of silence. Although a deal had been reached allowing her to return home at a reduced rent, she spent her final days in the hospital. In response to public pressure, the left-wing government had agreed to two decrees offering greater eviction protections and automatic contract renewals, but conservative and far-right opposition parties voted them down in parliament. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez subsequently announced snap elections for November 29.

Criticism of the political class was widespread. Manuel Martin, a 67-year-old retiree, stated, “We have a political class that is the most inept since the start of democracy.” Juana Sotillos, also 68, argued that Abascal had been used as a political tool by both sides and criticized Sanchez for inaction during his eight years in power. Alexander warned that the Spanish welfare state was “collapsing” and called for a government willing to take responsibility for resolving the issue.