María del Carmen Abascal, an 87-year-old pensioner evicted from her Madrid flat, died in hospital on Wednesday night. Thousands of people plan to march through central Madrid on Thursday evening to commemorate her.
Abascal's eviction triggered mass protests across Spain over the country's housing crisis. An investment firm that purchased her flat sought to raise her rent by 230 percent. Police used tear gas during the eviction, which took place a fortnight before her death.
The case transformed Abascal into the public face of Spain's deepening housing affordability crisis. Her death has intensified scrutiny of how investment firms acquire residential properties and raise rents beyond tenants' means to pay.