Tens of thousands of protesters participated in a march in Madrid on Thursday to mark the death of 87-year-old retiree Maricarmen Abascal. Abascal’s eviction from her apartment in the Spanish capital in September sparked a wave of housing protests that led the government to call early elections.
A march from Puerta del Sol to Retiro
The death of Abascal on Wednesday drew emotional reactions in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square, the epicenter of the movement where protesters have camped. A provisional estimate by the central government’s delegation in the region placed the number of demonstrators at 20,000. From Sol, where an improvised shrine of candles, flowers, and placards was set up, demonstrators traveled to Abascal’s former residence in the Retiro district.
Abascal, who used a wheelchair, passed away in a hospital two weeks following her eviction from the apartment where she had lived for 70 years. She was removed on a stretcher after the real estate company owning the property drastically raised the rent, positioning her at the center of Spain’s housing crisis.
Political impact and snap elections
In response to public pressure, the left-wing government agreed to two decrees providing greater tenant protections against evictions and automatic contract renewals. However, conservative and far-right opposition lawmakers voted down the measures in parliament. This defeat prompted Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to call a snap election for November 29.
While demonstrators voiced widespread frustration with politicians across the political spectrum, mourners outside Abascal’s former home observed a moment of silence and left flowers and candles.
