Thousands of Spanish workers and citizens went on strike and demonstrated in various cities in that country, including Madrid and Barcelona, on Wednesday, November 11, to protest the increase in rent and housing prices. Labor unions announced that about four million people participated in these demonstrations.
The Reuters news agency published images of this nationwide attack and reported that many shops were closed and the protesters faced off against police forces to form attack lines.
This is Spain's first general strike in 14 years, supported by the country's two largest unions, the General Workers' Union (UGT) and the Workers' Committees (CCOO), along with other workers' organizations and tenants' unions.
According to the statistics of the Central Bank of Spain, this country faces a shortage of about 750,000 housing units, and this shortage is expected to exceed one million units by 2028.
The Spanish Youth Council also announced that the average monthly rent in this country reached $1,315; A figure equal to 98.7% of the average monthly salary of a Spanish youth.
The strike was held a few weeks before the early elections in Spain and after weeks of protests against the eviction of the home of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid and her death.