Thousands took to the streets and lawmakers clashed in Madrid after 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal died following her eviction.
Thousands of Spaniards protested outside the national parliament after 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal died on Wednesday, weeks after an eviction from her Madrid home sparked nationwide unrest and led to a snap general election call.
Abascal was carried out of her home on a stretcher on September 23, having lived in the apartment for 70 years. She was hospitalized for severe anxiety and exhaustion. While in the hospital, she reached a deal to return to her residence, but she died before she could move back. Authorities haven’t announced a cause of death.
“Taking an 87-year-old woman out of her home after she had lived in the same house for 70 years, that is killing someone,” Diana, a demonstrator outside parliament, told Al Jazeera.
Outside Abascal’s apartment building, mourners left flowers, candles, handwritten notes and children’s drawings. On Thursday, protesters marched from a camp in the central Puerta del Sol square to her former home, chanting that the deaths are murders.
Political clash ahead of election
Protests over housing shortages and surging rents following the eviction prompted Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to schedule a snap general election for November 29, after parliament failed to pass emergency housing measures.
Tributes to Abascal also set off arguments in Madrid’s regional legislature. Alberto Nunez Feijoo, leader of the conservative opposition People’s Party, accused Sanchez and the governing Socialists of trying to exploit the housing crisis for political advantage after eight years in government.
The People’s Party, which holds absolute majorities in Madrid’s regional and local assemblies, refused to hold an official minute of silence in her honor. Hard-left lawmakers held a minute of silence outside City Hall and staged a 60-second standing ovation during a regional assembly debate while conservative deputies remained seated with their arms folded. Left-leaning parties criticized the conservatives for rejecting legislation designed to curb soaring rental prices.
Demands for housing reform
A survey conducted in June and released on Thursday by state pollster CIS showed that 76.3 percent of Spaniards back government intervention in the market to guarantee housing access. The poll also found that 79 percent believe the right to housing should take precedence over treating properties as market commodities.
Ombudsman Angel Gabilondo said addressing the housing problem will require greater commitment across all levels of government. His office is preparing a report on the issue and reiterated proposals to expand public housing, restrict tourist rentals, increase rent assistance and strengthen eviction protections for vulnerable households.
