Madrid mourns evicted retiree, ‘icon’ of Spain housing protests

MADRID – Tens of thousands of mourners marched through Madrid on Thursday in tribute to a Spanish pensioner whose eviction sparked national housing protests that culminated in the calling of early elections. The death of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal on Wednesday produced tears and anger in the Spanish capital’s emblematic Puerta del Sol square, the epicenter of the movement where hundreds are camping in protest. From Sol, where an improvised shrine of candles, flowers and placards lay on Thursday morning, demonstrators headed to Abascal’s former home in the upmarket Retiro district around three kilometers away.