Maricarmen, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction shook Spain, has died

María del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her Madrid home sparked nationwide protests across Spain and unleashed a political crisis, died on Wednesday while hospitalized.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/6000x4000!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd9%2Fe3%2F66af4f7948a4b6e93ba9b6b9d200%2Fap26280754981902.jpg' alt='Protesters gather after the reported death of María del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction sparked nationwide protests, in Puerta del Sol square in Madrid, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026.'/><p>María del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her Madrid home sparked nationwide protests across Spain and unleashed a political crisis, died on Wednesday while hospitalized.</p><p>(Image credit: Bernat Armangue)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5994868' />