Nine police hurt as Valencia housing protest reaches investor conference
Riot police clashed with demonstrators in Valencia after a housing-rights march reached a property investment conference, leaving nine officers hurt and five arrested.
Update ·
Updated with new reports from our sources.
Riot police clashed with demonstrators in Valencia on Saturday after a march for housing rights reached a real estate investment conference, leaving nine officers injured and five people arrested, El Mundo reported, citing government delegation sources.
About 6,000 people joined the march, organised by the Sindicat de Llogateres tenants' union and other housing groups, according to the government delegation's estimate cited by ABC and El Mundo. The march set off at 11:00 from the Porta de la Mar and covered around 600 metres to the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, where the Real Estate Summit 2026 investment conference was taking place.
A group of protesters broke through the police cordon outside the venue, and around twenty people got inside the building, where one unfurled a flag from a balcony, El Mundo reported. National police fired rubber bullets into the air and used tear gas and smoke canisters to push the crowd back, according to ABC and Italian outlet Il Fatto Quotidiano.
Nine police officers were hurt in the clashes, El Mundo and ABC reported. The head of the National Police's intervention unit suffered a suspected broken arm after a barrier was thrown at him, and other officers were struck by fireworks and paving stones, ABC reported. Five people were detained over objects thrown at the police line, according to ABC.
The march followed Friday's vote in Spain's Congress, where the government's two housing decrees were rejected by the Popular Party, Vox, Junts and UPN, ABC reported. Organisers, including the Sindicat de Llogateres, Entrebarris, the Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca and the Sindicat Habitatge Valencia, called for the protest after that vote and said they were planning a general strike in mid-November.
Valencia's Compromis party and the national party Podemos criticised the police operation as disproportionate and said they had asked the interior ministry who ordered the charge and how many rubber bullets and tear gas canisters were used, ABC reported. The regional government delegation said police had reacted to a violent attempt to breach the security cordon.
After the clashes, most protesters moved away from the venue and held a sit-in at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, where some discussed the possibility of setting up a camp, El Mundo reported.
What we know
- Nine police officers were injured and five people arrested in clashes outside a Valencia property conference
- About 6,000 people joined the housing-rights march, organisers and officials said
- Around twenty protesters breached the police cordon and entered the conference venue
- The march followed Friday's rejection of two government housing decrees in Spain's Congress
- Organisers said they were planning a general strike for mid-November
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
The clash is the latest flashpoint in Spain's housing crisis, which has drawn tens of thousands onto the streets of Madrid and other cities over soaring rents and a parliamentary defeat for the government's housing decrees. A planned general strike in mid-November would mark an escalation from street protest to a broader labour action over the same grievances.
Updates
·
Updated with new reports from our sources.
First published.
Sources
Reported by 5 reports from 5 independent outlets in 4 countries.
- ABC: Disturbios y cargas policiales en Valencia tras intentar entrar los manifestantes a un congreso de inversión inmobiliaria
- Il Fatto Quotidiano: Valencia, scontri tra polizia e manifestanti per il diritto alla casa: agenti lanciano lacrimogeni e proiettili di gomma
- El Mundo: Tensión en Valencia: cinco detenidos y nueve policías heridos en el asalto al Palau de Les Arts, donde había un congreso inmobiliario
- Report.az: İspaniyada etiraz aksiyaları keçirilir, Valensiyada 9 polis xəsarət alıb
- Index.hr: FOTO I VIDEO Deseci tisuća Španjolaca izašli na ulice. Neredi u Valenciji
Source balance
PremiumSee how the 5 outlets behind this story spread from left to right, and which are official or OSINT sources.
Free during the launch: create an account →Log inHow we rate sources
Intelligence file
PremiumSee how we verified this story
Confidence and impact scores, the full situation report and the event timeline.
Launch offer: free for members until 31 October 2026
Questions and answers
- How many people were hurt in the Valencia protest?
- Nine police officers were injured, including one with a suspected broken arm.
- How many people were arrested?
- Five people were arrested over objects thrown at the police cordon.
- What triggered the clashes?
- Protesters broke through a police cordon trying to reach a real estate investment conference at the Palau de les Arts.
This article was written with AI assistance from 5 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.