On a rain-soaked November day, Spain's cities filled with people who had decided that the price of a roof had become a question of dignity. Tens of thousands walked out in the first general strike in fourteen years, and in Barcelona the anger spilled into fire, broken glass and tear gas, while in Madrid it moved in quieter, larger rivers of protest. Behind the crowds stands an old, familiar human story: a long-held home lost to a new owner's arithmetic, and a generation that can no longer picture itself owning or even comfortably renting. The strike arrives just before a national vote, so it i
Clashes in Barcelona as tens of thousands join Spain's first general strike in 14 years over housing costs
An 87-year-old Madrid woman was evicted from her flat of seven decades under new landlords and died in hospital weeks later, and dozens of people were arrested during the protests.
Rent that takes nearly half of gross pay, against a recommended 30%
Mark
Why does this strike feel different from the one in 2012?
Mimi
Because the government is on the side of the strikers. Sánchez and his ministers encouraged workers to walk out, and that's unusual for a strike aimed at housing policy.
Mark
And the trigger was one eviction?
Mimi
Maricarmen Abascal, 87, evicted from a flat she'd lived in for seven decades after her rent tripled under new landlords. She died in hospital weeks later. Gonzalo Álvarez knew her and called it the little fire.
Luke
Worth being careful there. The source says her eviction sparked the protests and she died weeks later. It doesn't say the eviction caused her death, and I wouldn't imply it.
Mark
Fair. What about the clashes in Barcelona?
Mimi
Masked groups burned bins, smashed windows and fired tear-gas-provoking confrontations with police. Yet one woman told the BBC it was mostly peaceful and joyful, with children and older people present.
Luke
Some of the looting claims, like the Lego store and the Apple Store attempt, come from local media reports and footage, not from official confirmation. The interior ministry only said dozens were arrested, without a breakdown.
Mark
And the turnout figures?
Luke
The 120,000 and 50,000 are reported numbers, and the source doesn't say who counted. Union leaders call it massive, but electricity use fell 7.5% against over 15% in the last strike, which is a more modest signal.
Mimi
Though the source notes that was only the early hours, so it's not the whole day.
Mark
So what do we actually know about the election effect?
Luke
Only that the PP leads the polls and the strike is political terrain. Whether it moves votes is unknown.
Il Polso
- Some 120,000 people filled Madrid's streets while more than 50,000 gathered in Barcelona, where masked groups set fires and smashed shop windows.
- Police answered with riot shields and tear gas along the Passeig de Gràcia as looting reached shops and attempts were made to enter the Apple Store.
- The eviction of an 87-year-old Madrid tenant has become the spark, with rent now consuming nearly half of average gross pay.
- The government has backed the strike while the opposition calls it nonsense, and the result will be read as a warning ahead of the 29 November elections.
On a rain-soaked November day, Spain's cities filled with people who had decided that the price of a roof had become a question of dignity. Tens of thousands walked out in the first general strike in fourteen years, and in Barcelona the anger spilled into fire, broken glass and tear gas, while in Madrid it moved in quieter, larger rivers of protest. Behind the crowds stands an old, familiar human story: a long-held home lost to a new owner's arithmetic, and a generation that can no longer picture itself owning or even comfortably renting. The strike arrives just before a national vote, so it is being read both as a cry from the street and as a measure of how much the country's patience has worn thin.
By Wednesday evening, the centre of Barcelona was lined with officers in helmets and riot shields. Small fires burned in the middle of the streets, and tear gas hung over the Passeig de Gràcia after groups of masked men had set bins alight and smashed shop windows. It was the end of a day on which tens of thousands had stopped work across Spain in the first general strike in fourteen years, called by the main unions over housing and the rising cost of living.
Not everyone who was there saw only the fire. A woman at the Barcelona protest described a gathering that was mostly joyful, full of children and grandparents, until the smoke spread near Las Ramblas. In Madrid, where some 120,000 marched through the rain, a teacher named Olga Domingo said the gap between housing costs and wages had become unsustainable.
The numbers behind that anger are stark. A 50 square metre flat in Madrid averaged €1,170 a month in October, against an average gross salary of about €2,460, which means rent takes nearly half of pay. The immediate spark was the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal, who had lived seven decades in one flat before her rent tripled under new landlords. She died in hospital weeks later. Gonzalo Álvarez, a young volunteer with a tenants' union who knew her, called her eviction the little fire that started the protest.
The day is also a political event. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called snap elections after parliament failed to pass his housing plan, and his government openly encouraged this strike. The opposition People's Party dismissed it as nonsense, and business groups called it political. Union leaders called the turnout a success, though an independent measure of falling electricity use suggested a smaller shutdown than the last general strike in 2012. With the vote on 29 November approaching, the streets will be read as a measure of how much patience is left.
By Wednesday evening, the centre of Barcelona was lined with officers in helmets carrying riot shields. Small fires burned in the middle of the streets, and tear gas hung over the Passeig de Gràcia, close to the Plaça de Catalunya. Groups of masked men had set rubbish bins alight and smashed shop windows, after a day in which tens of thousands of people took part in Spain's first general strike in 14 years.
The strike was called by the country's main unions over housing and the high cost of living. Some 120,000 people joined a demonstration in Madrid and more than 50,000 turned out in Barcelona. Transport and other public services across Spain faced serious disruption, and earlier in the day traffic was halted on several main roads around both cities. Local media reported that a group fired fireworks at police and looted shops, including the Lego store, and protesters were seen trying to enter the Apple Store. The interior ministry said dozens of people were arrested for a variety of incidents, and Spanish reports said estate agencies had seen attacks on their offices.
Not every account from the streets matched the images of fire. A woman who attended the Barcelona protests told the BBC it was mostly peaceful and "joyful", with "a lot of children and old people there." Later, near Las Ramblas, she saw fires in the streets. "The fires were everywhere, it was very intense," she said. In Madrid, a protester told Reuters that the city had been brought to a standstill, despite the rainy weather. Olga Domingo, a 37-year-old teacher, said the housing situation was outrageous and that the cost of living against wages was unsustainable.
The numbers behind that anger are stark. According to the property portal Idealista, a 50 sq m apartment in Madrid averaged €1,170 a month in October. Spain's average gross monthly salary is about €2,460. That puts rent at nearly half of gross pay, well above the 30% level housing experts and public institutions often recommend.
The immediate spark was the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from a Madrid flat where she had lived for seven decades. She had faced a tripling of her rent under new landlords, and she died in hospital weeks later. Gonzalo Álvarez, a 27-year-old sales worker who volunteers with a housing union for tenants, knew her. He told the BBC her eviction at the end of September was "the little fire" that set off the protest. He and his girlfriend, a dental hygienist, pay €1,000 for a one-bedroom flat in Arganzuela, so each spends about half their salary on housing before other bills. Buying, he said, is completely impossible on such salaries.
Politics frames the whole day. Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called snap elections last month after parliament failed to approve his housing reform plan, and Spaniards vote on 29 November. Unlike earlier strikes, the government has encouraged this one. Spain last saw general strikes in 2012, under the conservative Mariano Rajoy. Sánchez wrote on social media that the eight-hour day, pensions and public healthcare were collective conquests, and told Spanish TV that what is nonsense is questioning workers' right to strike.
The opposition sees it differently. People's Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo called the strike "nonsense" and the unions "mafia" and "trash". His spokesman Miguel Tellado accused the government of exploiting it to warn voters off a right-wing government, which looks the most likely result. The business association CEOE agreed in part: vice-president Miguel Garrido said the strike was political rather than labour-related, tied to the early election, and that businesses have little to do with housing prices.
Union leaders called it a success. Pepe Álvarez of the UGT described "massive" participation, and Unai Sordo of CC OO called turnout "very significant." One independent gauge was more modest: Red Eléctrica reported that power usage fell 7.5% in the early hours of Wednesday, compared with a drop of more than 15% at the same point in the last general strike 14 years ago. With more demonstrations planned in other large cities, the turnout will be read as a measure of public discontent heading into the vote.
Citazioni salienti
What is nonsense is to question the rights of workers to strike.— Pedro Sánchez, Spanish prime minister
This is not a strike for labour-related reasons, but rather for political ones.— Miguel Garrido, vice-president of the CEOE
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