María del Carmen Abascal, known as Maricarmen, died Wednesday while hospitalized, the Madrid Tenants’ Union said. She was 87. Her eviction from her Madrid home prompted protests across Spain and became part of a political dispute tied to an early election.
Abascal was removed from the apartment on a stretcher on September 23 after living there for more than 70 years, according to several reports. The BBC reported she could not afford rent increases. She was hospitalized with severe anxiety and exhaustion, Al Jazeera and the New York Post reported. No cause of death was announced.
Reports said the apartment owner later reached an agreement that would have allowed Abascal to return, but she died before doing so. Thousands demonstrated outside parliament after her death, according to Al Jazeera and the New York Post. Deutsche Welle reported that unions called for a nationwide general strike on November 11.