🪧 Spain's unions stage first nationwide strike since 2012 over housing
Tens of thousands marched across Spain in a strike called by the main unions over housing and living costs, with clashes reported in Barcelona.
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The mystery
Rents and everyday prices have become a top worry for many Spaniards. The country's biggest unions answered with a nationwide walkout for the first time since 2012. It comes only weeks before a general election.
The answer
Spain's main labour unions called a nationwide general strike, the first in Spain since 2012, over rents, housing and rising everyday prices. The BBC reported that roughly 120,000 people marched in the capital, while turnout in Barcelona topped 50,000. Transport and other public services were badly disrupted, and traffic stopped on several major roads around both cities. In Barcelona, groups of masked men clashed with police in the evening, burning rubbish bins and breaking shop windows, and police used tear gas. According to the interior ministry, several dozen arrests were made. One woman who joined the Barcelona protest told the BBC that most of the day had been peaceful and even joyful. UGT union leader Pepe Álvarez called turnout massive, and Unai Sordo of CC OO described it as very significant. Spain votes in a parliamentary election on 29 November.
Now think about this
Can a single day of strikes push governments to act on housing costs?
