Spain General Strike Ends With Huge Marches in Madrid and Other Cities

Spain’s first general strike in fourteen years wrapped up with massive marches across the country’s biggest cities. Around 120,000 people joined the Madrid march alone, demanding better housing, wages and pensions.

A Historic Day of Protest Comes to a Close

Spain’s first nationwide general strike in fourteen years ended with huge marches sweeping through the country’s largest cities. About 120,000 people took part in the Madrid march, according to local reports.

The massive procession capped off a day full of protest. Picket lines, blocked roads and transport disruptions had been reported since early morning. In Madrid, marchers walked from the area around Atocha station toward Plaza de España.

Rain Couldn’t Stop the Crowds

Heavy rain poured down, but thousands of people still packed the city’s main streets. Tenant rights activists led the march, carrying a banner that read “General strike. Housing, wages, public services, pensions.”

Officials from the Spanish government’s Madrid office estimated the crowd at around 120,000 people. Organizers from the Tenants’ Union, however, put the number much higher, claiming between 400,000 and 500,000 people showed up.

Generations United Against High Rents

People of all ages joined the demonstration, from college students to retirees. Protesters held house keys above their heads as they marched. They chanted against soaring rent prices, big investment funds and real estate agencies.

Similar mass marches also took place in Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Zaragoza, Vigo, Santiago de Compostela and several other Spanish cities.

A Strike Years in the Making

Protests had been building across Spain since early morning, with road blockages and occasional clashes between demonstrators and police. This marked the first nationwide general strike in the country in fourteen years. Spain’s two largest trade unions backed the action.

The strike landed less than three weeks before Spain’s snap parliamentary elections, scheduled for November 29. It also came just two days before the official start of the election campaign.