Protests in Barcelona ended in clashes with police and looting
Clashes began after the main protests, timed to coincide with the first general strike in 14 years, concluded. More than 50,000 people took to the streets of Barcelona, and after the main demonstration, masked individuals began setting fire to rubbish bins and smashing shop windows, writes the BBC.
Photo: David Ramos/Getty Image
The main route of the demonstrations passed through Paseo de Gracia, Barcelona's main avenue. In the afternoon, protesters from various columns converged there. As El País noted, the march was more festive in atmosphere. According to estimates by Barcelona police, 55,000 people participated; unions reported significantly higher numbers — 400,000 participants.
The reason for the strike was Spain's prolonged housing crisis. The protests were jointly supported by Spain's two largest trade unions, UGT and CCOO, as well as other union organizations and tenant associations, outraged by rising rents and evictions.
According to the central bank, Spain has a deficit of approximately 750,000 homes. It is expected that by 2028, the country will lack more than a million homes.
After the official end of the strike, a group of people smashed shop windows along Paseo de Gracia, looted some of them, and set shops on fire.
The Lego toy store was particularly affected, its facade damaged. Protesters were also seen trying to enter an Apple store, according to BBC correspondents.
Dozens of rubbish containers were set on fire in the streets, and clashes with police occurred.
A BBC correspondent spoke to a protest participant in Barcelona: according to her, the demonstration was generally very peaceful and even "joyful." The woman said she came to protest against high housing prices, adding that "there were many children and elderly people there."
In the evening, she was in the Rambla area and saw bonfires in the streets. "Fire was everywhere, the atmosphere was very tense," she said.
The President of the Generalitat of Catalonia (the highest governing body of the autonomy), Salvador Illa, condemned the unrest. "Neither violence nor vandalism reflects the position of the people who demonstrated peacefully throughout the day. In Catalonia, those who commit crimes will pay for it," Salvador Illa wrote on the social network X.
According to Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni, Catalan police arrested 50 people in connection with the incidents. He also announced that the city council would join the legal proceedings regarding the damage caused.
The nationwide strike was the culmination of several weeks of protests sparked by the eviction and subsequent death of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid.
In October, the Spanish parliament rejected a government decree aimed at curbing the number of evictions for non-payment and limiting the rampant rise in housing rental costs. Along with ongoing protests, this forced Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to call early elections for November 29.
The Socialists, led by Pedro Sánchez, supported the protests and blamed the right-wing opposition for the housing crisis.