At the heart of the makeshift “protest camp” that housing rights activists have set up in Puerta del Sol, in the centre of Madrid, Aitana López came today to pay tribute to Maricarmen Abascal following her death. In her hands was a candle bearing a message written in black marker: “Thank you for everything, we will never forget you.”

In the vast square where around 100 tents have been pitched over the past ten days, the 25-year-old student honoured the memory of the woman who, according to López, “was the start of all this”, a reference to the popular mobilisation that has gripped Spain since the 87-year-old was evicted from her flat on 23 September.

Nada más conocerse la muerte de Maricarmen los homenajes se extendieron por algunas de las acampadas por la vivienda, especialmente en la acampada de la Puerta del Sol, en Madrid. Allí ha habido un goteo incesante de personas para recordarla. 🎙️@LuciaBlazquez2 y @jcarlosfdeztv https://t.co/dL9VgXT2Tw

— Telediarios de TVE (@telediario_tve) October 8, 2026

Her eviction from the home where she had lived for almost 70 years sparked anger and demonstrations across the country.

A memorial march is due to leave the camp at 9pm this evening and head to Abascal’s home. She died last night in the hospital where she had been taken after her eviction.

“The grandmother of an entire country” and “The fight goes on” read placards made from scraps of cardboard laid on the ground here and there, among bunches of roses.

🔴 DIRECTO | Políticos y líderes sociales lamentan la muerte de Maricarmen. “Todo mi cariño a la familia y seres queridos. Un abrazo también a todas las personas que hoy sienten esta pérdida como propia”, ha posteado Sánchez. 📌 Más información, aquí 🔗 https://t.co/x3Ys1RMgOm

— EL PAÍS (@el_pais) October 7, 2026

‘Just another victim’

Luis Rodríguez, 64, said he finds it “unacceptable” that an elderly woman should be thrown out of a home she had lived in for 70 years, at a time when property prices, for both renting and buying, “have reached utterly insane levels”. After she was admitted to hospital following her eviction on 23 September, “we knew she was going to die, and she died”, said the Madrid resident. “This is disgusting!”

In his view, the case, which triggered a wave of outrage across Spain and brought about a political crisis, was “the straw that broke the camel’s back”. “This woman was a victim, just another victim,” he said angrily.

Last Friday, Spanish MPs rejected two bills tabled by the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, including one to suspend evictions of vulnerable people. Facing parliamentary deadlock, the Socialist leader called a snap election three days later, for 29 November.

“This was a woman who was used politically by various parties,” claimed Juana Sotillo, a 68-year-old pensioner.

A few months ago, Abascal spoke to the Spanish news outlet elDiario.es about her long battle to avoid eviction from the home she had lived in for 70 years, after it was bought by a property company that sharply increased the rent.