Maricarmen, Symbol of Spain’s Housing Protests, Dies at 87

Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old pensioner whose eviction became a rallying point for Spain’s housing protests, has died, Madrid’s Tenants’ Union said Wednesday. She had lived in her Madrid home for 71 years before being removed on a stretcher on September 23 after her rent was sharply increased. Following public outrage, an agreement allowed her to return under a new eight-year contract at a similar rent. The union said the resolution came too late. Her case intensified debate over housing affordability and tenant protections nationwide.