Spain general strike: millions march over housing, clashes in Barcelona

Spain stopped work on Wednesday, 11 November, for its first general strike in 14 years, and this time the anger was about housing. Unions said about 4 million workers, roughly a fifth of the workforce, joined in, Reuters reported. In the evening, protests in Barcelona and Madrid turned into clashes with police.

Why did Spain go on a general strike?

Rents. Spain’s two biggest unions, UGT and CCOO, called the strike after weeks of protests set off by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid, who died afterwards, AP reported. It is the first general strike in Spain driven mainly by housing rather than wages or labour law.

Rents in Madrid and Barcelona have risen much faster than pay in recent years, and housing has become one of the biggest issues in Spanish politics.

What happened in Barcelona?

The size of the Barcelona march depends on who you ask: housing activists said 400,000 people filled the city, while the city government said 55,000, AFP reported. The day was mostly peaceful, unions said. After dark, groups of hooded and masked demonstrators threw objects at police and set fires, according to AFP journalists, and some shops were looted.

Arrest numbers also differ. One count had at least 73 arrests from more than 1,000 incidents by 9 PM GMT; Reuters later reported at least 115 arrests across Spain.

What happens next?

Spain votes in a general election on 29 November. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is seen as hoping to turn anger over housing into votes for his side, AP reported. The strike puts housing at the centre of the last two weeks of the campaign.

Why it matters to Pakistanis

Spain has one of Europe’s largest Pakistani communities, concentrated in Barcelona, where many run shops and businesses in neighbourhoods like El Raval. They face the same rent rises as everyone else. Housing policy decided after the 29 November vote will land directly on them, and on Pakistani students and workers thinking of moving to Spain.