BARCELONA, Spain: Millions of Spanish workers shut down businesses and public transportation across the eurozone’s fourth largest economy on Wednesday before thousands took to the streets of major cities in a nationwide protest over soaring rents and real estate prices.
Housing activists hope the massive show of force will lead to more regulations to protect tenants and crack down on real estate speculation, while Spain’s left-wing government is seeking to mobilize voters ahead of a national election later this month with polls against it.
The walkout — under the slogan “Salaries. Housing. Prices.” — was the first general strike in Spain in 14 years, and the first whose principal push was born from unrest over housing.
The strike culminated in workers and average citizens gathering in downtown Barcelona and Madrid, along with protests in other cities. Housing activists said 400,000 marchers filled Barcelona, while the city government said 55,000 turned out.
In Barcelona, most storefronts on Paseo de Gracia, a main shopping boulevard, were boarded up in anticipation of potential unrest before thousands of people walked behind a huge banner that said “Live. Not Just Survive.”
After the peaceful march, some apparently younger protesters started to smash storefronts of brand-name stores. Police in riot gear quickly arrived in vans to the area.
