Sánchez says that he feels the death of Maricarmen Abascal as "his own" and Feijóo demands not to campaign on it

BarcelonaA social explosion, two emergency decrees, an early election in Spain, and a general strike. The magnitude of the consequences of the Maricarmen case explains the shock over the death this Wednesday of the 87-year-old woman, who had become, following her eviction in Madrid, a symbol of the fight for the right to housing. Social movements have been mourning the passing of Maricarmen Abascal since last night, which, as expected, has entered fully into the pre-campaign for the November 29 elections. The Spanish Prime Minister himself, Pedro Sánchez, rushed to describe the woman's death as his "own," while the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, asked that it not be used for campaigning.

After a tribute to Maricarmen's family, in a post on X, Sánchez added: "A hug to all of us who feel this loss as our own today." A message that, without explicitly stating it, was directed at the entire mobilized population, whose vote the PSOE seeks to drag to the polls. The news of the death of Maricarmen Abascal, who had been hospitalized since she was evicted, caused great consternation at Puerta del Sol. Activists camped out for the right to housing improvised tributes with candles and signs. A flood of protesters also marched to the doors of Congress with chants of "They are not deaths, they are murders" and "Where is the progressive government?". Others have taken the slogans to what was the woman's home.

The mood on the streets of Madrid was summarized by Maricarmen Abascal's lawyer, Beatriz Duro, in statements to SER: "If the eviction had been suspended, we would not be in this situation today." Perhaps that is why the PP, which has fought against housing decrees and censored the encampment at Puerta del Sol, is trying to isolate the issue from political debate. Feijóo has expressed his "respect" on X, but added: "No campaigns, no parties, no self-serving use. Enough stones at the wall." In this line, the Madrid PP, led by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has vetoed the minute of silence that left-wing parties had proposed for this Thursday at the Madrid Assembly. "We don't see it," they responded from the PP, as reported by El País and SER.

From the far right, and with the same objective of not appearing responsible for the veto on anti-eviction measures, Vox has opted for the opposite strategy: attacking Pedro Sánchez directly and holding him responsible for the woman's death: "They have killed Maricarmen. Without any scruples, they have used the suffering of an elderly person to set up a campaign that hides the government's responsibility for the housing disaster," the ultras also wrote on X, from where Minister Pablo Bustinduy reproached their opportunism: "These mercenaries voted against banning evictions five days ago."

On the same social network, and without explicitly stating to whom his message was addressed, ERC spokesperson Gabriel Rufián says: "What sons of bitches". "It is not a death, it is a murder. What damned rage", added Podemos MEP, Irene Montero, and the leader of the purple party, Ione Belarra, pointed out those responsible: "He was murdered by the vultures who wanted to take his house, the justice system and the administrations that allowed it". "Your fight awakened consciences throughout Spain and lit a fuse that will no longer be extinguished. Your dignity and courage mark the way", said the minister and leader of Més Madrid, Mónica García.

In Catalonia, the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, has also expressed his shock. "No one can remain indifferent. Politics cannot allow any inhumanity. We will continue fighting to ensure it does not happen again," the head of the Government wrote in a post.