Clashes have erupted between masked protesters and police in Barcelona after tens of thousands of people joined Spain’s first general strike in 14 years, organised by the country’s major labour unions over rising housing costs and the high cost of living.
About 120,000 people took part in a demonstration in Madrid, while more than 50,000 gathered in Barcelona. Footage from the Catalan capital showed masked men setting rubbish bins on fire and smashing shop windows as police fired tear gas to disperse protesters.
The strike caused significant disruption to transport networks and other public services across the country, as Spain prepares for parliamentary elections on 29 November.
The head of the UGT labour union, Pepe Álvarez, described the industrial action as a success, citing “massive” participation. Unai Sordo of the CC OO union also said turnout was “very significant.”
Police maintained a heavy presence in central Barcelona on Wednesday evening, with officers wearing helmets and carrying riot shields.
Some of the clashes occurred along Passeig de Gràcia, near the city’s iconic Plaça de Catalunya. Fires burned in the streets as protesters set rubbish bins alight.
Local media reported that some demonstrators fired fireworks towards police officers and looted shops, including a Lego store. Others were seen attempting to enter an Apple Store.
However, a woman who attended the Barcelona demonstration told the BBC that the protest was largely peaceful and “joyful”.
She said she had joined the march to protest rising housing costs, adding that “there were a lot of children and old people there.”
The woman, who was in the Las Ramblas area later in the evening, described seeing fires across the streets.
“The fires were everywhere, it was very intense,” she said.
Earlier, the strike had caused major disruption in Madrid and Barcelona, with traffic brought to a standstill on several major roads.
Spain’s Interior Ministry said dozens of people had been arrested over various incidents, while local reports indicated that estate agency offices had also been attacked.
In Madrid, one demonstrator told Reuters news agency that the strike had significantly disrupted activities across the capital.
“We’ve completely brought the city to a standstill,” the protester said, adding that there was widespread support for the industrial action.
“Everyone’s out there, despite the rainy weather; everyone’s out on the streets.”
Another demonstrator, 37-year-old teacher Olga Domingo, said she joined the protest because of the worsening housing situation and rising living expenses.
“The housing situation is outrageous. The current cost of living compared to wages is completely unsustainable,” she said.
The strike followed growing public anger over the lack of affordable housing and rising living costs, particularly after the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from a Madrid flat where she had lived for 70 years.
Abascal died in hospital weeks after being forced to leave the property.
Rental costs in Madrid have continued to rise in recent years. According to property portal Idealista, the average monthly rent for a 50-square-metre apartment in the capital reached €1,170 ($1,300; £1,000) in October.
Spain’s average gross monthly salary stands at about €2,460, meaning rent for such an apartment accounts for nearly half of an average worker’s earnings.
The figure is significantly above the 30 per cent affordability threshold commonly recommended by housing experts and public institutions.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called snap elections last month after parliament rejected his proposed housing reforms.
Spain’s last general strike took place in 2012 under the conservative government of former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.
Unlike previous industrial actions that largely targeted the government in power, Sánchez and his ministers have publicly supported the latest strike, encouraging workers to demand affordable housing.
In a social media post, Sánchez highlighted the gains made through previous labour movements.
“Your eight-hour day. Your pension. Your public healthcare… These were collective conquests,” he wrote, praising those who participated in earlier strikes.
However, the conservative People’s Party (PP) accused the government of using the industrial action for political advantage ahead of the elections.
PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo dismissed the strike as “nonsense” and described the unions as “mafia” and “trash”.
Feijóo’s party is leading in opinion polls, while party spokesman Miguel Tellado accused the government of exploiting the demonstrations to discourage voters from supporting a right-wing administration, which appears to be a strong possibility in the 29 November elections.
Responding to the criticism, Sánchez defended workers’ right to protest during an interview with Spanish television.
“What is nonsense is to question the rights of workers to strike,” he said.
Among those who joined the demonstrations was 27-year-old Gonzalo Álvarez, who visited several picket lines across central Madrid.
Although he works in sales, Álvarez volunteers with a housing union that supports tenants and educates them about their rights.
He told the BBC that the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal at the end of September had become the immediate trigger for the demonstrations.
“The eviction of Maricarmen Abascal at the end of September “was the little fire” that sparked this protest,” he said.
Álvarez knew the 87-year-old woman and said he was deeply upset by her treatment after her rent reportedly tripled under new landlords.
He currently shares a small, one-bedroom apartment with his girlfriend, a dental hygienist, in Madrid’s southern Arganzuela district.
The couple pay €1,000 in monthly rent, with each spending about half of their salary on accommodation before accounting for other household expenses.
“It’s absolutely crazy… with the food, with the electricity, with the water, with gas.”
Álvarez said the rising cost of property had also made home ownership increasingly difficult for young people.
“You have to collect an insane amount of money to be able to buy a house. So with these salaries, it’s impossible.”
He added that buying a property under current rental and housing market conditions was “completely impossible”.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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