- BIST10011,843+1.51%
- USD50.26+0.06%
- EUR55.74-0.44%
- GOLD3,882.00-0.08%
- INTEREST36.00%-1.00
- BITCOIN68,579-3.91%
- November 14, 202619°
- BIST10011,843+1.51%
- USD50.26+0.06%
- EUR55.74-0.44%
- GOLD3,882.00-0.08%
- INTEREST36.00%-1.00
- BITCOIN68,579-3.91%
- November 14, 202619°
Spain stages first nationwide strike in 14 years over housing costs
Authorities say 120,000 people marched in Madrid against the housing crisis, as the average rent for a small apartment in the capital reached 1,170 euros. The action paralyzed transport and escalated into clashes with police in Barcelona that evening.
About 120,000 people, according to the government’s estimate, took part in a march in Madrid on Wednesday despite heavy rain. The demonstration marked the culmination of Spain’s first nationwide strike since 2012, which unions called under the slogan “Wages. Housing. Prices.”
The housing crisis was the main cause of the protest. According to the Idealista portal, the average rent for a 50-square-meter apartment in Madrid reached 1,170 euros in October, while the country’s average gross salary was about 2,460 euros. The Guardian reported that rents in Spain had risen by 80% over the past decade, while housing prices had increased by 63%.
The eviction that started it all
The protests gained momentum after 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal was evicted from her Madrid apartment, where she had lived for seven decades. According to the BBC, the new owners tripled her rent; the pensioner died in a hospital several weeks after the eviction.
“No salary in our country can keep up with housing prices,” UGT union leader Pepe Álvarez said before the strike. Unai Sordo, head of the largest trade union confederation, Workers’ Commissions, told Cadena SER that access to housing was “tearing the country apart.”
The video shows an evening march in Madrid, where tens of thousands of people filled the capital’s main street, Gran Vía.
Transport halted as unrest breaks out in Barcelona
The Confederation of Tenants’ Associations said that about 4 million people had joined the strike by midday. Trains were operating at 50% to 75% of their usual capacity, and 234 flights were canceled. In Catalonia, protesters blocked the AP-7 motorway and access roads to Barcelona’s Sants station; tires were set alight at some barricades.
In central Barcelona that evening, groups of masked people set fire to rubbish bins, smashed shop windows and launched fireworks toward police, who used tear gas. Organizers put the turnout in Barcelona at 400,000, while the city police estimated it at 55,000. More than 50 people were detained across the country.
Footage from Anadolu shows nighttime streets, burning rubbish containers and police action against protesters.
The strike took place several weeks before the early parliamentary elections on November 29. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government supported the action, while the opposition People’s Party accused the unions of campaigning ahead of the election in favor of the Socialists.
Photo and video: Anadolu. Video of the Madrid march: social media
Stay Updated with RuskiGazeta
Subscribe to be informed about special news, developments and announcements. We will keep you informed.
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy
