Millions of people mobilized across Spain on Wednesday for the country’s first general strike in 14 years, demanding sweeping reforms to secure the right to decent housing.
The historic strike followed the forced eviction and subsequent death of Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old retired woman in Madrid, in September. Originally initiated by the Tenants’ Union, the walkout gained momentum with backing from major labor organizations including UGT and Comisiones Obreras to protest soaring living costs and real estate speculation.
Demonstrators braved the rain in Madrid as a massive protest marched from Atocha to Plaza de España under the banner of housing rights, fair wages, and public services. Chants of “Madrid will be the tomb of rentism” echoed through the capital’s streets as thousands challenged the prevailing economic model.
Tensions flared around midday when National Police officers charged at protesters who had blocked traffic on Gran Vía.
“Without doing anything, they came straight for us,” said Samantha Hudson, an artist and content creator who reported being sprayed with tear gas by police during the demonstrations.
Unai Sordo, general secretary of CCOO, expressed profound bewilderment at the police response and announced plans to file a criminal complaint over the use of pepper spray against peaceful demonstrators in Madrid.
Mobilizations spanned multiple regions, including Barcelona, where protesters filled Passeig de Gràcia and cut off traffic along Avenida Diagonal. Divided into different blocks, the Barcelona demonstration involved the Sindicat de Llogateres, UGT, CCOO, CGT, the Confederació Sindical d’Habitatge de Catalunya, the Intersindical, the IAC, COS, as well as the PSC, ERC, the Comuns, and the CUP. Similar demonstrations drew participants in Bilbao, Vitoria, Donostia, Valencia, and Toledo.
National Police officers carried out a police charge around the Plaza del Ayuntamiento in València during a midday demonstration organized by the CGT trade union for Wednesday's general strike.
Among those assaulted in other parts of Spain during police charges was regional deputy Ernesto Alba of Por Andalucía (IU/PCA), who reported suffering “along with other colleagues” a “police assault” at an information picket line in Mercamálaga.
Transport services operated at minimal levels while road blockades paralyzed transit across various provinces. Labor organizers categorized the strike’s adherence as a major success, reporting regional turnout rates ranging from 75% in Andalusia and Aragon to 41% in Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha.
The Ministry of Interior and autonomous police forces recorded a total of 40 arrests—including 13 individuals detained by the Ertzaintza in the Basque Country—alongside 476 reported incidents throughout the day of action.
