Clashes broke out in Barcelona between groups of protesters and police after tens of thousands of people took part in the first general strike in Spain in the past 14 years. The strike was called by the main trade unions over housing and high cost of living.
Around 120,000 people joined demonstrations in the capital, Madrid, while more than 50,000 participants took to the streets in Barcelona. Footage showed masked men setting fire to bins and smashing shop windows, while police fired tear gas. Transport and other public services across Spain faced serious disruptions.
Spaniards are due to vote in parliamentary elections on 29 November. Pepe Álvarez, leader of the major trade union UGT, said the strike had been successful with "massive" participation, while Unai Sordo of the CC OO union described the turnout as "very significant". A heavy police presence was seen in central Barcelona on Wednesday evening, with officers in helmets and riot shields. Some of the unrest took place on Passeig de Gràcia, near the iconic Plaça de Catalunya in the city centre. Small fires burned in the middle of streets where riots erupted. Local media reported that a group of people fired fireworks at police and looted shops, including a Lego store. Protesters were also seen attempting to enter an Apple Store. Earlier in the day, major disruptions occurred around Madrid and Barcelona, with traffic halted on several main roads. The Ministry of the Interior said dozens of people had been arrested for various incidents. Spanish reports noted that estate agents had recorded attacks on their offices. A protester in Madrid told Reuters: "We have completely stopped the city." Another protester told Reuters that there was broad support for the general strike. A 37-year-old teacher, Olga Domingo, said she was protesting because the government "continues to cut" and "the housing situation is unprecedented. Current cost of living relative to wages is completely unsustainable".
The strike was prompted by widespread protests over affordable housing and rising cost of living, following the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from a flat in Madrid where she had lived for seven decades. Maricarmen Abascal died in hospital weeks later. Rental prices in the capital have risen in recent years. The monthly cost of a 50-square-metre flat in Madrid in October averaged 1,170 euros, according to property portal Idealista. The average gross monthly wage in Spain is around 2,460 euros.
Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called snap elections last month after parliament failed to approve his housing reform plan. Spain has not held general strikes since 2012, under the conservative government of Mariano Rajoy. Sánchez and his ministers encouraged workers to stop work and demand affordable housing. Sánchez wrote on social media: "Your eight-hour working day. Your pension. Your public healthcare… These were collective achievements." The conservative People's Party (PP) accused the government of trying to exploit the strike for electoral purposes. PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo called the general strike "nonsense", and the unions a "mafia" and "garbage". Feijóo's party leads in the polls. Party spokesperson Miguel Tellado accused the government of using the strike to warn voters not to allow the formation of a right-wing government. Sánchez told Spanish television this week: "What is nonsense is questioning workers' right to strike."
Gonzalo Álvarez, 27, was among the participants in the general strike, visiting various points in central Madrid. Gonzalo Álvarez works in sales and volunteers for a housing union that tries to protect tenants and raise awareness of their rights. Gonzalo Álvarez told the BBC that the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal in late September "was the spark" that triggered this protest. Álvarez knew the 87-year-old, who faced a tripling of rent under new owners. Álvarez rents a small one-bedroom flat with his girlfriend, a dental hygienist, in the southern district of Arganzuela. The couple pays 1,000 euros together, meaning each spends about half their salary on housing, even before other bills. Miguel Garrido, vice-president of CEOE, the largest Spanish business association, criticised the strike, complaining that companies have little to do with housing prices. Miguel Garrido said: "This is not a strike for labour reasons, but political ones, and is closely linked to the early calling of elections." Demonstrations are planned in some of Spain's largest cities later in the day.
