On a rainy evening in Madrid, and in a tense Barcelona that counted its crowds in wildly different ways, Spain paused its economy in a general strike that is really a reckoning with a much older promise: that a home should be a place to live rather than a commodity. The country's first such walkout in fourteen years carried the slogan "Salaries. Housing. Prices." and spoke for a generation that spends nearly its whole pay packet on rent. Behind the marches stand an 87-year-old evicted woman, a shortage of some 750,000 homes, and a parliament that refused to act, pushing the question toward the
Spain's First General Strike in 14 Years Joins Mass Protests Over Housing Crisis Ahead of November Snap Vote
An 87-year-old woman, Maricarmen Abascal, died after being evicted in Madrid earlier this year, and at least 13 people sought medical care after pepper spray was used at a Madrid protest.
"Live. Not just survive."
Mark
Why does this strike matter beyond the crowd sizes?
Mimi
Because it's the first general strike in 14 years, and it was called around housing, wages and prices together. Rent at 99% of a young person's salary is the kind of number that explains why it reached beyond the usual union base.
Luke
Before we go on, the crowd sizes themselves aren't settled. Madrid's 120,000 comes from authorities. In Barcelona, officials said 55,000 and activists said 400,000. Both are attributed claims, and nothing in the reporting says which is closer.
Mark
And the housing figures?
Mimi
The 750,000-home deficit and the projection of over a million by 2028 are central bank estimates. The rent figure comes from Spain's youth council.
Luke
Right, so those are single-source numbers. Useful, but they're estimates, and the rent-to-salary comparison is specific to young people, not all renters.
Mark
What role did Maricarmen Abascal play?
Mimi
She was 87, evicted in Madrid earlier this year, and she died. The crisis is symbolized by her case. She's the human anchor of the story.
Luke
The source says the case symbolizes the crisis. It doesn't give details of the circumstances, so we shouldn't add any.
Mark
Is the strike seen as political?
Mimi
Very. The government backed it, and sources close to Sanchez reportedly called it against the opposition. Feijoo called that absurd. A Madrid doorman called it an election strike.
Luke
Note that the "against the opposition" line is from unnamed sources, relayed through Spanish media. And one doorman is one voice, not a measure of public opinion. What we don't know is how many people actually stayed home from work.
The Pulse
- Millions stopped work across Spain, bringing Europe's fourth-largest economy to a near standstill in its first general strike in 14 years.
- Crowds of about 120,000 filled Madrid's streets while Barcelona's contested counts, 55,000 by officials and 400,000 by activists, leave the true scale unsettled.
- Night marches in Barcelona turned violent, with shop windows smashed, dumpsters burned and fireworks fired at police, while pepper spray in Madrid sent at least 13 people for medical care.
- Parliament blocked renter legislation, so Sanchez called snap elections for November 29 and his government has since passed two decrees with similar measures.
- Airline and airport disruptions and a rail walkout over deadly crashes have widened the pressure, and the November 29 vote now decides whether the anger turns into votes.
On a rainy evening in Madrid, and in a tense Barcelona that counted its crowds in wildly different ways, Spain paused its economy in a general strike that is really a reckoning with a much older promise: that a home should be a place to live rather than a commodity. The country's first such walkout in fourteen years carried the slogan "Salaries. Housing. Prices." and spoke for a generation that spends nearly its whole pay packet on rent. Behind the marches stand an 87-year-old evicted woman, a shortage of some 750,000 homes, and a parliament that refused to act, pushing the question toward the ballot box on November 29.
On Wednesday evening, under steady rain, about 120,000 people filled the streets of Madrid. They had come after a day when millions of Spanish workers stopped work, bringing the country's economy to a halt. It was the first general strike in fourteen years, and its slogan, "Salaries. Housing. Prices.", named a grievance felt by many. In Barcelona, officials counted 55,000 marchers while activists claimed 400,000, a gap so wide that the crowd's true size remains a matter of dispute.
The night was not entirely peaceful. In Barcelona, a small group broke shop windows, set fire to dumpsters and fired fireworks at police. In Madrid, strikers at the Mercamadrid market said police used pepper spray, and at least 13 people needed medical care. Some airlines reported flight disruptions as airport and airline staff joined the walkout.
Behind the anger is a human face: Maricarmen Abascal, 87, who died after being evicted in Madrid earlier this year. Spain is roughly 750,000 homes short, and average rent now takes 99% of a young person's salary. As buying becomes out of reach, more families are renting, and the pressure has grown.
Politically, the crisis has become a fight over who acts. Parliament blocked the government's renter bill, so Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called snap elections for November 29, and his government has since approved two decrees with similar measures. Tenant leaders say they will not stop until the housing system serves residents rather than a landlord minority. Critics, including opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo, accused the government of backing a strike meant to help its own vote, while some workers stayed on the job, calling the walkout pointless. The November 29 vote will show whether this movement can shift the balance.
On Wednesday evening, in steady rain, about 120,000 people filled the streets of Madrid, according to authorities. They came after a day in which millions of workers had stopped work across Spain, bringing Europe's fourth-largest economy to a standstill. It was the country's first general strike in 14 years, held under the slogan "Salaries. Housing. Prices."
The numbers in Barcelona were contested. City officials said 55,000 people joined the evening marches, walking behind a huge banner that read "Live. Not just survive." Housing activists in the city put the figure at 400,000. The two counts differ by a factor of more than seven, and the source reports both without reconciling them.
In Barcelona the peaceful march later gave way to something else. Small groups of young men smashed shop windows along the city's main shopping street, set dumpsters on fire and shot fireworks at police when officers arrived. The scene echoed other recent demonstrations around Europe. In Madrid, strikers outside the Mercamadrid wholesale market said police used pepper spray on the crowd, and at least 13 people sought medical attention. Earlier in the day, workers had gathered, marched and set up picket lines despite stormy weather in many regions. Some airlines later reported disruptions to flights in and out of Spain, because some airport and airline staff joined the strike.
The crisis behind the strike has a face. Maricarmen Abascal, 87, was evicted in Madrid earlier this year and died, and her case has come to symbolize the housing emergency. The central bank estimates Spain is short about 750,000 homes, a gap projected to exceed a million by 2028. As fewer people and families can afford to buy, more have become renters. Spain's youth council puts the average rent at €1,176 ($1,315), equal to 99% of the average young person's salary.
The political fallout is already underway. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's left-wing government tried to pass legislation easing the burden on renters, but opposition parties blocked it in parliament. Without the votes to legislate, Sanchez called snap elections for November 29, hoping to strengthen his support. His government has since approved two extraordinary decrees with measures similar to the reforms parliament rejected. Alicia del Rio, spokesperson for the Madrid Tenants' Union, said the movement would not stop until the country's housing model was transformed from top to bottom, so that homes serve people living in them rather than a landlord minority.
The strike itself is politically charged. The government backed it, saying it was held "in favor of rights" and not against anyone, though, according to Spanish media, sources close to Sanchez's inner circle went further and called it "against the opposition." Alberto Nunez Feijoo, leader of the conservative People's Party, said that if that were true, it would be "an absurdity the likes of which does not exist in any other European Union country." The UGT union, one of the organizers, and Sanchez's socialist PSOE are separate institutions, but both trace their origins to the same founder, Pablo Iglesias Posse.
Not everyone joined in. DW's Nicole Ris, reporting from Madrid, said many people there still showed up for work, including acquaintances who suffer under the cost of living and housing crises but saw little point in striking. A doorman told her he was not taking part and called the strike nonsense, arguing the government supports it in hopes of winning enough votes on the 29th to carry on. Some in Spain describe it as an "election strike."
The strike came a day after rail workers walked out over two deadly train crashes this year, adding decaying infrastructure to the issues in the coming campaign. With parliament having blocked the renter legislation, the November 29 vote will test whether housing and strike politics move voters.
Notable Quotes
We won't stop until we transform this country's housing model from top to bottom so that houses are for living instead of being at the service of the landlord minority.— Alicia del Rio, spokesperson, Madrid Tenants' Union
If the strike was against the opposition, it would be an absurdity the likes of which does not exist in any other EU country.— Alberto Nunez Feijoo, leader of the People's Party
Want the full story?
Read the original at Deutsche Welle ↗