Masked Men Clash With Police in Barcelona After Spain General Strike Over Housing

General strike, Madrid and Barcelona

Spain’s general strike over the housing crisis and loss of purchasing power drew about 120,000 people into Madrid and more than 50,000 into Barcelona, after millions of striking workers brought Europe’s fourth-largest economy to a standstill under the motto "Salaries. Housing. Prices."

Clashes broke out between groups of masked men and police in Barcelona after tens of thousands of people took part in Spain’s first general strike for 14 years, called by the country’s main unions over housing and the high cost of living.

Footage showed masked men setting fire to rubbish bins and smashing shop windows as police fired tear gas, and transport and other public services across Spain faced serious disruption.

UGT head Pepe Álvarez said the strike was a success with "massive" participation, while CC OO’s Unai Sordo said turnout was "very significant."

The strike was triggered by widespread protests over affordable housing and rising living costs after the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from a flat in Madrid where she had lived for seven decades, and she died in hospital weeks later.

+5Housing demand11 of 11 outlets reported it▾

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Clashes, arrests, and competing claims

Police reported 40 arrests by midday in 476 incidents linked to the general strike, including blockades of offices and industrial estates and the burning of rubbish containers, while unions said they would file a criminal complaint over what they described as a "disproportionate" response involving tear gas and batons that left 20 protesters injured. A woman who attended protests in Barcelona told the BBC it was mostly very peaceful and "joyful," and she said she was there to protest about the housing costs and that "there were a lot of children and old people there." In Madrid, a protester told Reuters, "We've completely brought the city to a standstill," and another protester, 37-year-old teacher Olga Domingo, said she was protesting because "the housing situation is outrageous."

Complaint planned2 of 10 outlets reported it · not in Acento and 7 more▾

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. The conservative People’s Party (PP) accused the government of attempting to weaponise the strike for electoral gain, and it quoted PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo calling the general strike "nonsense," calling the unions "mafia" and "trash."

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Election stakes and next steps

Spain’s general strike unfolded less than three weeks before parliamentary elections on 29 November, and the BBC said Spaniards were due to vote in parliamentary elections on 29 November. Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called snap elections after parliament failed to approve his plan for housing reform, and Sánchez and his ministers had even encouraged workers to down tools and demand affordable housing. Sánchez said, "What is nonsense is to question the rights of workers to strike," and the PP accused the government of exploiting the strike to warn voters against allowing a right-wing government to be formed.

+5Election date11 of 11 outlets reported it▾

The eviction of Maricarmen Abascal at the end of September was the "little fire" that sparked this protest, according to Gonzalo Álvarez, and it linked the trigger to her tripling of her rent under new landlords. The strike’s political stakes were immediate, with Sánchez and his ministers backing the walkout while the PP and Vox criticised it, and it framed the day as a test ahead of the 29 November vote.

Reporting for this sectionBBC