Barcelona hit by looting and barricades as Spain's general strike ends in clashes
Police made dozens of arrests in Barcelona, Madrid and the Basque Country as Wednesday's nationwide strike over housing and pay turned violent.
Spain's first general strike in 14 years ended in disturbances on Wednesday evening, with looting, burning barricades and clashes with police reported in Barcelona and police charges against protesters in Madrid. At least 100 people were detained across the country, El Mundo reported.
In Barcelona, a march from Passeig de Gràcia to Plaça Catalunya drew 55,000 people according to the city's Guardia Urbana, or 400,000 according to the unions and tenant groups that organised it, Il Fatto Quotidiano reported. The march had been peaceful for most of the afternoon before disturbances broke out shortly after 19:30 local time.
Groups of people broke into shops, threw fireworks and set fire to rubbish containers to build barricades on several streets including Pelai, Ronda Sant Pere and Rambla Catalunya, ElDiario.es reported. Mossos d'Esquadra police said they had made 18 arrests over the disturbances by 21:30, adding to two earlier arrests overnight. Catalan president Salvador Illa condemned the violence, saying on social media that "the protest is legitimate, the violence is not."
In Madrid, police blocked the march from reaching Plaza de España and charged at protesters on the Gran Vía, detaining a 46-year-old man, La Voz de Galicia reported. In the Basque Country, 16 people were detained in towns including Vitoria, Bilbao and Portugalete, three men were placed under investigation in Errenteria, and more than 200 people were identified by police. Seven officers were taken to hospital after being hit by thrown objects, the newspaper said.
Police in Vigo were also investigating an explosion that damaged the door of the UGT union's office during the strike, La Voz de Galicia reported.
Card payments fell 22.9% nationwide by Wednesday afternoon compared with the previous week, according to data from the payments platform Redsys cited by El Mundo. The drop was sharper in some areas, with payments down 61% in Ourense and 42% in Barcelona, the newspaper reported, though it noted that storms moving across the country that day may also have affected spending.
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What we know
- Spain's first general strike in 14 years turned violent in Barcelona and Madrid on Wednesday, El Mundo reported.
- At least 100 people were detained nationwide, El Mundo reported.
- Looting, burning barricades and clashes with Mossos d'Esquadra police broke out in central Barcelona after a march that drew 55,000 to 400,000 people, depending on the source.
- Madrid police charged protesters on the Gran Vía; 16 more people were detained in the Basque Country and seven officers were hurt.
- Card payments nationwide fell 22.9% compared with the previous week, Redsys data cited by El Mundo showed.
Figure history
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Why it matters for Europe
The strike, called by the CCOO, UGT and CIG unions together with tenants' and housing groups, was the first general stoppage in Spain in 14 years and came 24 hours before the start of campaigning for a snap general election on 29 November. Organisers said the walkout was aimed at both pay and a housing crisis that has driven rent protests across several Spanish cities this year.
Sources
Reported by 4 reports from 4 independent outlets in 3 countries.
- El Mundo: Los supermercados desploman sus ventas un 30% en la jornada de huelga
- La Voz de Galicia: El 11N, en directo: Disturbios en Barcelona y enfrentamientos con la policía al término de la manifestación multitudinaria por la huelga general
- ElDiario.es: Disturbios, ataques a comercios y quema de contenedores tras la manifestación por la vivienda en Barcelona
- El Mundo: Miles de personas en las manifestaciones y graves disturbios en Barcelona: las imágenes que deja la huelga
- El Mundo: Máxima tensión en Barcelona: disturbios, intentos de saqueo y cargas policiales
Source balance
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Intelligence file
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Confidence and impact scores, 2 more sources, the full situation report and the event timeline.
Questions and answers
- What caused the unrest in Barcelona?
- Disturbances broke out after a large march for housing rights and against the general strike, with groups looting shops and building burning barricades, ElDiario.es reported.
- How many people were detained?
- El Mundo reported at least 100 detentions nationwide, including 18 in Barcelona and 16 in the Basque Country, according to La Voz de Galicia.
- Why was the strike called?
- Unions and tenants' groups called the strike over pay and Spain's housing crisis, days before campaigning begins for a snap general election on 29 November.
This article was written with AI assistance from 7 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.