Evicted at 87: Maricarmen Abascal Speaks From Hospital Bed

The eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman removed from her Madrid home last Wednesday, has resonated across Spain and turned her into a symbol of the country's housing struggle.

Speaking from her hospital bed, Abascal said she had been unable to defend her home but had fought so that others might learn to fight. She thanked the Union of Renters, which had supported her, along with her lawyer, Beatriz Duró, and the neighbours and children who gathered at her eviction. She described the union as her family and urged people to continue the campaign to save homes.

Abascal was carried out on a stretcher from the flat in Madrid's Retiro district, where she had lived for 70 years. The eviction was executed by Spanish National Police under a court order, and tensions flared between officers and protesters at the scene.

Her case traces back to 1956, when her father signed the lease. After his death it passed to his wife and later to Abascal, who held it on the same terms. The dispute arose after Urbagestión, an investment fund, bought the apartment and sought rent of 1,650 euros, against the 500 euros she had been paying.

Abascal, who has a 50% disability, won in Madrid's lower administrative courts but ultimately lost her home when the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the investor.

She called for people to attend a demonstration against the housing crisis on Saturday at 18:30 in Puerta del Sol, saying she wanted no further cases like hers.

Her future remains uncertain. She has previously declined to move into an elderly care home and may instead live with a cousin in a small flat in another region of Spain.