(VIDEO) Spain's Housing Crisis Erupts After Evicted 87-Year-Old Maricarmen Abascal Dies, Unions Call Strike

MADRID — The death of an 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her Madrid home of seven decades shocked Spain has intensified public anger over soaring rents, as the country heads toward a general strike and a snap national election.

María del Carmen Abascal, known across Spain simply as Maricarmen, died Wednesday at Madrid's Gregorio Marañón hospital, according to the Madrid Tenants' Union. She had been hospitalized since Sept. 23, when she was carried out of her apartment on a stretcher during a court-ordered eviction.

Her death came two weeks after images of her removal spread across the country, turning her into a symbol of Spain's deepening housing crisis.

Evicted after 70 years

Abascal had lived in the apartment in the Ibiza neighborhood of Madrid's upscale Retiro district since 1956. The lease was originally signed by her father and later passed to her mother and then to Abascal herself after her mother's death in 2005.

The eviction did not stem from unpaid rent but from the legal expiration of the lease. Reports said the real estate investment firm that owned the building sharply increased the rent to a level far beyond what she could afford on her pension.

On the morning of the eviction, Abascal was removed from her home shortly before 1 p.m. and taken by ambulance to the hospital as protesters and supporters gathered outside. From the hospital, she thanked everyone who had supported her.

Her lawyer, Beatriz Duro, did not disclose the medical cause of death but said the eviction process had caused a serious decline in her health.

One of her last messages to supporters became a rallying cry for protesters: "Luchad por lo que es vuestro," or "Fight for what is yours."

Protests and tent camps

Abascal's eviction quickly sparked demonstrations across Spain. Housing activists set up protest camps, including an encampment with dozens of tents in Madrid's central Puerta del Sol square, demanding action on rising rents and evictions.

After news of her death spread, protesters camped in Sol held a minute of silence. Vigils were held in Madrid, where supporters lit candles and displayed posters bearing her image.

The Madrid Tenants' Union said the political response to the crisis had come at a terrible price.

"The housing debate is at the centre, but the cost to get here has been too high," the union said.

Sánchez offers condolences

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his condolences in a post on X.

"All my love to Maricarmen's family and loved ones," Sánchez wrote. "A hug as well to all of us who feel this loss as our own today."

The case has added pressure on Sánchez's Socialist-led government, which has struggled to pass housing legislation through a fragmented parliament.

Last week, lawmakers rejected emergency decrees aimed at curbing evictions and limiting rent increases. Following that defeat and the wave of protests, Sánchez called an early general election for Nov. 29. The vote had originally been expected in 2027.

The government this week approved two revised housing decrees, including a renewed freeze on certain evictions, though their future remains uncertain amid the election campaign.

General strike set for Nov. 11

Spain's two largest trade unions, the General Union of Workers, or UGT, and Workers' Commissions, or CCOO, announced a nationwide 24-hour general strike over housing and wages for Nov. 11.

The unions urged workers to mobilize for better pay, decent housing and price controls to counter inflation that has eroded purchasing power.

The strike would be the first jointly backed by Spain's two largest unions in 14 years, and the first during Sánchez's time in office. It is scheduled just over two weeks before the election and two days before the official campaign begins.

The unions said the date still needs to be ratified by other organizations. The Confederation of Tenants' Unions, which represents local renters' groups across Spain, said it would back the Nov. 11 date at a meeting of organizing groups.

A nationwide affordability crisis

Housing has become one of the most pressing political issues in Spain, where rents have climbed sharply in major cities such as Madrid and Barcelona in recent years.

Critics blame a combination of factors, including limited new construction, the growth of short-term tourist rentals and large investment firms buying residential buildings. Many younger Spaniards say they cannot afford to leave their parents' homes, while older tenants on fixed incomes face growing risks of displacement.

Abascal's case struck a nerve because it showed that even long-term residents who had always paid their rent could lose their homes when leases expire and new owners raise prices.

Election campaign takes shape

With the election less than two months away, rising rents and evictions have become central campaign themes. Parties across the political spectrum are expected to present competing proposals, ranging from rent controls and tenant protections to measures aimed at boosting housing supply.

For many protesters, Abascal's death has transformed the debate from an economic issue into a moral one.

Abascal would have turned 88 next month. Her death has left supporters vowing to continue the fight she came to represent, both on the streets and at the ballot box.