#BREAKING | Thousands of protesters in Madrid are marching to Spain’s Congress after the news broke that 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal passed away in the hospital. For the past six years, Maricarmen had been resisting attempts to evict her from her home where she lived for over 70 years. She had become a symbol of the struggle for housing in Spain, after she was forcibly removed from her apartment on September 23. Her violent eviction only intensified protests and organizers also set up an encampment at ‘Sol’, in Madrid’s city center, to push for demands like a ban on eviction of vulnerable tenants where alternative housing is not available; a limit to short-term and room rentals; a rent freeze; and an extension for contracts ending in 2026 and 2027. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had attempted to push through some modest housing reforms in parliament but both were defeated by the right. Now, Spain will head to snap elections in November.

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