Thousands gather in Barcelona for unified general strike demonstration

Thousands of people have gathered in the centre of Barcelona for the unified demonstration for Wednesday's general strike.

Local police cited the attendance at 55,000, while organizers said around 400,000 people joined the demonstration.

Taking part are different groups and entities divided into different blocs.

Among those participating are the Tenants' Union, the Confederation of Housing Trade Unions of Catalonia, as well as trade unions UGT, CCOO, CGT, the Intersyndical, the IAC, and COS, as well as groups from the political parties The Socialist Party of Catalonia, Esquerra Republicana, the Comuns, and CUP.

The demonstrators arrived from different parts of the city in different columns, such as the group of more than 3,000 people that blocked Diagonal Avenue for much of the day.

Protesters celebrate the success of the general strike, and demand regulation for the housing market to end speculation.

Thousands are marching through the streets of Barcelona carrying banners with slogans such as 'For a dignified life: national and class-based trade unionism,' 'To live, not just survive. Against rentierism, the employers associations, and their governments,' 'Neither people without homes nor homes without people,' and 'Lower the rents.'

After reaching Plaça Catalunya, organizers officially called the march to an end.

They explained that the turnout was so large that many people were unable to even move from the Jardinets de Gràcia area, where the march began. 

"Unsustainable" living situation

Among the protesters was a prevailing sense of "anger," but also "joy" at seeing so many people mobilized.

"I felt such joy when I left home and saw that there really were a huge number of people on the streets, and that many businesses were closed," Aina Tremoleda, one of the protesters, told the Catalan News Agency.

She explains that she moved to the Netherlands at the age of 21 due to a lack of prospects for living in her home city. "I should be able to have the life I want in my own neighborhood, but it’s just not possible," she lamented.

Aina asserts that the issues highlighted by the strike affect "everyone," regardless of "social class or which party you vote for."

Jordi Vila, from Cardona, says that for some time now, the authorities "have failed to take any action on housing," and he believes that prices have reached an "unsustainable" level.

He adds that discontent over the housing situation has been "building up" for a long time, and he hopes this will prove to be a "defining moment" in securing improvements.

Marcelo Belotti, originally from Italy but a resident of the Raval neighborhood for 23 years, explains that this "anger" is not limited to Catalonia or to young people. Rather, it is present "in Europe and throughout the world."

"We are very angry, fundamentally because of the redistribution of wealth, which affects every aspect of our lives," he says.

Maria, who is retired, says she came to "support the youth," but also to demand rights for the elderly. "They must not make cuts to healthcare, nursing homes, or anything else that we fought so hard to achieve over so many years," she asserts.

Disturbances

After the demonstration had concluded, a group of individuals smashed the windows of several storefronts in the area of ​​Passeig de Gràcia and Gran Via.

Shortly before these disturbances, they had repeatedly launched pyrotechnics at the police line.

The Mossos d'Esquadra were initially forced to retreat, but minutes later, dozens of riot vans arrived, and scores of officers disembarked, pushing the protesters down toward Plaça Catalunya.

There, firecrackers were once again thrown at the police, and the unrest continued, directed at shops such as the Apple Store, where the entrance door was smashed, a fire was set, and at least one person entered the premises.

Other cities

Thousands also marched in other cities around the country. 

In Girona, the demonstration drew over 18,000 people according to the police, and more than 50,000 according to the organizers.

Around 14,000 people, according to organizers, and 4,000 according to the municipal police, marched through the streets of Lleida.

In Tarragona, around 9,000 people marched through the city centre, according to police. The Mossos d'Esquadra cordoned off the area near the exhibition center where far-right Vox leader Santiago Abascal held a public event this evening.

Meanwhile, heavy rain in Madrid did not stop tens of thousands of people from joining the general strike march.

The protest, which set off from the Paseo del Prado at 6pm, brought together labor unions, social movements, young people, and families in a festive atmosphere, following a morning marked by picket lines and closed businesses. Over 20 arrests were made through the day. 

Equipped with umbrellas and ponchos, the participants marched towards Plaza de España chanting against real estate speculation and calling for a "rent strike."