Millions join Spain's first general strike in 14 years over housing crisis

Millions of people across Spain joined the country's first general strike in 14 years on Wednesday, setting up picket lines in protest at soaring housing costs, according to the Guardian [1]. The 24-hour nationwide stoppage was called by tenants' associations and later backed by workers' unions, the paper reported. Sandra Mora of the Madrid Tenants' Union told broadcaster RNE that workers who are also renters or mortgage-payers "are the ones with the power to halt production and bring the economy to a standstill", according to [1]. Unions reported high participation across several sectors, including 90% in the automotive and port industries and 82% in waste collection, though the Guardian said involvement was uneven across the country, with the strongest support in coastal regions such as Catalonia and Andalucía, where housing costs have risen most sharply [1]. The Confederation of Tenants' Associations described the action as a success, saying by midday about 4 million people had taken part, according to [1]. Many schools and universities were closed or operating at minimal capacity, the Guardian reported, and in Madrid the strike added to a teachers' dispute that had already been running for nearly a month [1]. In Barcelona, workers erected roadblocks, some with burning tyres, and public transport came to a near-standstill, according to [1]. Pickets formed soon after midnight, blocking factories, markets and transport hubs, and the AP-7 motorway was closed in both directions, the paper said. An evening demonstration filled the city's main shopping thoroughfare, with protesters chanting "No more rents! Rent strike now!", according to [1]. Organisers put the Barcelona turnout at 400,000, while local police estimated 55,000, the Guardian reported. Small groups of hooded protesters later vandalised shops and set fire to rubbish bins, leading to clashes with police, according to [1]. In Madrid, government officials estimated 120,000 people took part despite heavy rain, with scuffles breaking out between pickets and police near the capital's main wholesale market, the Guardian said [1]. Government officials reported more than 50 arrests nationwide over minor incidents, according to [1]. Almudena López, 74, told the Guardian she attended the Madrid protest thinking of her 43-year-old son, who works in IT but cannot afford to buy a home and rents a room in a shared flat. "When I was young, if you had a university degree, you could get a job by saving a bit... but you could manage. It's nothing like it is today," she said, according to [1]. Spain's state meteorological agency issued 14 alerts for two storms bringing strong winds, heavy rain and rough seas, the Guardian reported, forcing the cancellation of marches in Cádiz, Seville, Córdoba and Huelva amid forecasts of gusts up to 75mph [1]. Tens of thousands still joined more than 90 marches in cities including Barcelona and Madrid, though an evening downpour dispersed crowds in Barcelona, according to [1]. The Guardian traced the unrest to September, when the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from the Madrid home she had lived in for more than seven decades triggered protests and encampments across the country [1]. The paper reported that rents have risen by 80% over the past decade and home prices by 63%, driven in part by the growth of tourist lets and short-term rentals [1]. Ahead of the strike, the tenants' union in Granada targeted the city's tourist areas, vandalising around 300 properties, according to the Guardian, which did not specify further details of the action [1].