María del Carmen Abascal, the face of Spain's housing crisis, dies at 87

Known as 'Maricarmen,' the Spanish pensioner became a national symbol after her emotional eviction sparked widespread protests.

María del Carmen Abascal has died at the age of 87. She was a well-known figure in Spain, often called 'Maricarmen' by the public. She became famous for the wrong reasons back in 2014. At the time, she was an elderly woman living in a home in Madrid. She was evicted—which means she was forced to leave her home by the police—after her son could no longer pay the mortgage. The images of her being carried out of her house by officers became a national symbol of how hard life had become for many people in Spain. At that time, Spain was dealing with a massive housing crisis. Many people had los…