Maricarmen Dies After Eviction

What happened

María del Carmen Abascal, known as Maricarmen, died in hospital on Wednesday at age 87. Her cause of death was not announced. Police had removed Abascal on September 23 from the Madrid home where she had lived for about seven decades, carrying her out on a stretcher before she was hospitalized because of fragile health. The eviction became a national symbol of Spain’s housing crisis as average rent has nearly doubled in a decade. More than a quarter of tenants spend about 40 percent of their income on housing and utilities. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez offered condolences, while opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo warned against political use of her death. Trade unions announced a nationwide housing strike for November 11.

How each side covered it

From the left

Left-leaning outlets framed Maricarmen as a renter whose case turned private hardship into national resistance over housing costs. Los Angeles Times described her as a symbol for renters struggling with affordability. Al Jazeera highlighted activists’ view that her ordeal showed the human cost of aggressive evictions.

From the right

Only one right-leaning outlet we track covered this: New York Post, under the headline “Spanish woman whose eviction sparked housing protests dies at 87 as crowds chant ‘murder’”.

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Maricarmen Dies After Eviction

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What happened

How each side covered it

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