General strike kicks off with road cuts and logistics sites blocks in Barcelona

The first protests and demonstrations of Wednesday's general strike day saw more than a hundred people block access to the Zona Franca industrial area and Mercabarna market wholesalers in Barcelona.

Workers at car manufacturer Seat went on strike during the night shift.

The strike has been called across the country to stand in solidarity with Palestine.

The atmosphere of the protest is peaceful and festive.

The demonstrating workers then moved to the entrances of the Port of Barcelona, from where the different groups gathered together and started marching towards the city centre.

They carried banners that read 'We stop the genocide' and shouted "general strike."

David Caño, spokesperson for the IAC trade union, assured that people "are not naive" and that the signing of a ceasefire has not reduced the mobilization of the strike. "People are aware of the need to end the conflict in Palestine, not just because of the genocide, but to find a political solution," he said.

"The general strike continues," he explained, to "follow up" on the ceasefire, to demand that "genocide cannot go unpunished," and to call for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be put on trial in international courts.

He demanded that Spain break off "commercial, cultural, and economic" relations with Israel.

Sergi Perelló, general secretary of the Intersindical trade union, called on as many people as possible to down tools "for the sake of dignity."

"The genocide in Palestine is not an isolated event," he said, warning that the "most reactionary" positions want to "violate the rights of everyone around the world."

"People think that the general strike was dependent on the ceasefire, but we believe there will be no process of memory or reparation for these events, and we do not know if Israel will attack again soon," he warned.

Road blocks

Over a hundred demonstrators in Mataró, north of Barcelona, blocked the N-II road for over an hour, and later occupied a McDonald's restaurant for around 20 minutes.

Many of them were youngsters who started earlier in the day touring several high schools.

After walking from Rodalies' train station to the Porta Laietana roundabout, demonstrators entered the restaurant, accusing the company of being "an accomplice to the genocide taking place in Gaza."

"Their project is to occupy Palestine, the apartheid, and the destruction of Palestinians to be able to enlarge their colonialist and imperialist project," Marina Rodríguez, member of the Joves per Palestina (Pro-Palestine Youth), said.

Several main roads across Catalonia were blocked on Wednesday morning due to the mobilizations.

The Ronda Litoral Barcelona ring road along the coast was cut in both directions during stretches of the morning, but the Catalan Traffic Service has reported that the closure has been lifted.

Another demonstration also blocked the A-2 in Sant Vicenç dels Horts southbound.

Several lanes of the AP-7 highway between Llinars del Vallès and La Roca del Vallès were cut, causing queues of up to five kilometers in stretches.

In central Catalonia, the C-17 and the C-25 were also both cut on Wednesday morning.

All cuts mentioned above have since been lifted, as reported by the traffic authorities. 

Students protest

More than a hundred students blocked accesses to the Bellaterra campus of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) from the early hours of the morning.

Protesters set up barricades with containers and furniture on the main road and at train station accesses, but also at the faculties with the intention of stopping activity at the university throughout the day.

Girona

Some 50 demonstrators have picketed in front of the Carrefour supermarket in Girona in support of Palestine, calling for a "boycott" of Israel and the companies that have commercial ties with the country.

A police unit prevented the protesters from entering the supermarket, as they chanted slogans such as "it's not war, it's a genocide," "from the river to the sea, Palestine will win," and "Israel is murderous, and Carrefour sponsors it".

The demonstrators criticized that the peace plan for Gaza "has already been broken" and that it has been done with its back to the Palestinian people.

They are also calling on all citizens to join the general strike this Wednesday.

More than 400 people demonstrated later in the afternoon in the centre of the northern Catalan city, blocking train tracks.

The protest began in Plaça del Vi and the group marched to the transport infrastructure.