Photos: Protests erupt after 87-year-old evicted woman dies in Madrid

The death of an 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her longtime Madrid home ignited nationwide outrage has intensified Spain’s debate over housing and pushed the country into a political crisis.

Maria del Carmen Abascal, known widely as “Maricarmen”, died in hospital on Wednesday, her lawyer confirmed, weeks after televised images showed police removing her on a stretcher from the flat where she had lived for seven decades. Activists said her case exposed the human cost of soaring rents and aggressive evictions.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez led tributes online, calling her “a symbol” of renters struggling with Spain’s affordability crisis and writing on X: “All my love to Maricarmen’s family and loved ones. … Rest in peace.” Protesters gathered near parliament chanted: “Maricarmen lives. The fight goes on!”

Her lawyer, Beatriz Duro, said activists were devastated, calling the eviction “shameful violence” that showed “the impact it can have on people’s health”. Housing groups stressed that although a deal was eventually reached allowing her to return home, the agreement came “too late” after a “harrowing ordeal”.

Spain’s average rent has almost doubled in a decade, and the government said more than a quarter of tenants spend about 40 percent of their income on housing and utilities – more than double the EU average.

Abascal’s removal from her home so the property could be relet at a higher price set off protests across Spain, a planned general strike next month and mounting pressure on politicians. After failing to pass emergency housing measures, Sanchez called an early election for November 29, hoping to channel public anger into support for his Socialist Party.

Conservative opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo also offered condolences, urging “respect” and warning against using Abascal’s death for political gain.