Mass Protests in Spain Following End of General Strike

Madrid, November 11 (KUNA) – Spain witnessed massive demonstrations on Wednesday evening demanding better wages and guaranteed access to affordable housing, concluding a general strike that saw clashes with police, road blockades, and acts of vandalism resulting in the arrest of 52 people.

Spanish state television reported that tens of thousands took to the streets in dozens of Spanish cities despite poor weather conditions. It noted that authorities estimated the number of participants in the capital, Madrid, at 120,000, while the demonstration in Barcelona drew approximately 55,000 people. The protests also spread to other cities, including Valencia, Alicante, and Zaragoza, while major trade unions decided to suspend demonstrations in several Andalusian cities due to heavy rain.

Protesters carried slogans calling for lower rents, improved purchasing power, secure employment contracts, and affordable housing. They blamed major landlords, real estate companies, and real estate investment trusts for exacerbating the country’s housing crisis.

In Catalonia, riots broke out in Barcelona following the end of the demonstration. Masked youths smashed the facades of several shops, clashed with police, and set fire to garbage bins, causing security tensions in the city center. Meanwhile, the Granada demonstration was temporarily halted after a suspicious bag was discovered.

Regarding the 24-hour strike called by the country’s main trade unions, which received widespread support from national and regional organizations and institutions, data showed varying levels of participation across regions and economic sectors. The Workers’ Commissions (CCOO) union stated that participation rates in the early hours ranged from 41 percent in the regions of Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura to over 80 percent in Catalonia and Andalusia, adding that participation reached 75 percent in the logistics sector in some areas.

Unions also reported increased participation in the manufacturing, transport, ports, and education sectors, noting a halt in production at major factories, including the SEAT car plant in Catalonia and the Volkswagen plant in the northern region of Navarre.

Conversely, Spanish state television quoted the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE) describing the strike as “a failure,” stating that national participation did not exceed five percent on average and that economic activity continued normally in most sectors and regions, basing its assessment on electricity consumption data.

No official total figure for the number of strikers has been released yet, but the Tenants’ Union estimated the number of participants at around four million, expressing expectation that the number would exceed five million by the end of the strike at midnight on Wednesday.

On the security front, Spanish state television, citing sources from the Ministry of the Interior, reported 919 incidents related to the strike, with 52 people arrested in various areas.

Today’s strike is the first of its kind at the national level since 2012, coming amid a worsening housing crisis, rising living costs, and demands to improve workers’ purchasing power and strengthen public services. (End) H.N.D / H.S.S