Spain's major unions have declared their first general strike in 14 years, angered by housing problems and high living costs. As tens of thousands of people took to the streets, there were clashes between masked people and police in Barcelona.
About 120,000 people participated in the protest in the capital Madrid and more than 50,000 in Barcelona. Video from the scene showed masked people setting trash cans on fire and breaking store windows while police fired tear gas.
The general strike has caused severe disruption to transport and other public services across Spain.
Meanwhile, a general election is scheduled to be held in Spain on November 29.
Pepe Alvarez, chairman of the large labor union UGT, assessed that a "large number" of people participated in the strike, and Unai Sordo, chairman of CC OO, another union, also said the participation rate was "very high."
On the evening of the 11th, a large number of police officers armed with helmets and riot shields were deployed in downtown Barcelona.
Some commotion occurred in Passeig de Gracia, near the iconic Plaza Catalunya in the center of the city.
A small fire broke out in the middle of the street when a trash can caught fire. Local media reported that several people fired fireworks at police and looted stores, including a Lego store. Protesters were also seen attempting to enter the Apple store.
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A woman who participated in the Barcelona protest interviewed by the BBC said the protest was generally very peaceful and "joyful" and that she took part to protest housing costs. “There were many children and elderly people at the scene,” he said.
This woman was on Las Ramblas, a famous street in Barcelona, around evening, and saw flames rising from all over the street.
“Flames were burning everywhere, and the situation at the scene was very serious,” he explained.
This morning, large-scale disruptions occurred in Madrid and Barcelona, paralyzing traffic on several major roads.
The Interior Ministry said dozens of people had been arrested in connection with several incidents, and local Spanish media reported that several real estate agency offices had been attacked.
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“We have completely paralyzed the city,” one protester in Madrid told Reuters, claiming many were supporting a general strike.
“Even though it’s raining, everyone is out on the streets. Everyone is out in the streets protesting.”
Olga Domingo (37), another protester and teacher, explained the reason for the protest, saying, "The housing shortage is serious. The current cost of living is unbearable compared to wages."
In Spain, the forced eviction of 87-year-old Mariecarmen Abascal from her apartment in Madrid, where she had lived for 70 years, sparked widespread protests against the housing shortage and rising cost of living. Abascal died in hospital a few weeks after his eviction.
In fact, rents in Madrid have continued to rise in recent years. According to the real estate brokerage platform 'Idealista', the average monthly rent for a 50m² (approximately 15.1 pyeong) apartment in Madrid last October reached 1,170 euros (approximately 1.73 million won).
The average monthly salary in Spain is about 2460 euros. In other words, it is close to half of the average salary and far exceeds the 30% housing cost burden level generally recommended by housing experts and public institutions.
Current Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, a member of the Socialist Party, declared early general elections last month after Congress failed to pass his housing reform plan.
This is the first time a general strike has occurred in Spain since 2012, when the conservative government of Mariano Rajoy was in power.
In the past, general strikes were a crisis for the ruling government, but this strike is different. This is because Prime Minister Sánchez and his cabinet members encouraged workers to stop working and hold protests demanding affordable housing.
Prime Minister Sánchez praised those who participated in the general strike in the past through social media, saying, "8-hour work day, pension, public health care... these are all achievements that we all achieved together."
image copyrightEPA
On the other hand, the conservative People's Party (PP) accused the government of abusing the strike as a political tool to gain electoral advantage.
PP leader Alberto Núñez Payjo said the general strike was a "foolish move" and the union was a "mafia" and "scum."
With the PP party currently leading in opinion polls, PP spokesman Miguel Tejado criticized the current government for abusing the general strike to send a political message that the launch of a right-wing government should be prevented, as there is a high possibility that a right-wing government will be formed in the general election on November 29.
Prime Minister Sánchez responded on Spanish TV this week, saying, “The real nonsense is to question workers’ right to strike.”
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Meanwhile, among those who participated in this general strike was Gonzalo Alvarez (27), who wandered around various picket areas in downtown Madrid.
As a sales worker, he also volunteers for a housing union that protects and helps tenants.
In an interview with the BBC, Alvarez said Abascal's forced eviction in late September was the "small spark" that sparked the protests.
He said that he had always known Abascal, who was in trouble because her monthly rent had tripled after her landlord changed, and that he was shocked by what she had gone through.
Alvarez is also struggling with high housing costs. He lives with his girlfriend, a dental hygienist, in a small one-bedroom apartment in the Arganzuela district, south of Madrid, where they each pay 1,000 euros per month. This means that each person spends about half of their monthly salary on rent, even before deducting other utility bills.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous… If you add up the cost of food, electricity, water, and gas, it’s truly unbearable.”
He expressed that it was difficult to even hope to buy his own home.
“You have to save an insane amount of money to buy a house. (But) it’s impossible with my current salary.”
Considering current rents and house prices, buying a house is "completely impossible," the argument goes.
However, Miguel Garrido, vice president of CEOE, Spain's largest business association, criticized the general strike, saying that companies have nothing to do with the housing price issue.
It is pointed out that “this strike is not due to labor issues but for political reasons, and is closely related to the call for early general elections.”
Protests are scheduled in major Spanish cities on this day as well, and the scale of support for these protests is expected to be an indicator of public dissatisfaction ahead of the general election.
Another reliable indicator of support is electricity demand in Spain's industrial sector.
According to data from power operator Red Electrica, electricity usage in Spain decreased by 7.5% as of the early morning of the 11th. During the last general strike 14 years ago, electricity consumption during the same time period decreased by more than 15%.
Additional reporting: Gabriela Pomeroy
