Spain's Socialist Government-Backed General Strike Ends In Riots, Looting

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Spain's Socialist Government-Backed General Strike Ends In Riots, Looting Authored by Etienne Fauchaire via The Epoch Times,Spain's first general strike in 14 years, called by…

Spain's first general strike in 14 years, called by left-wing unions with the backing of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Socialist government, ended in riots in Madrid and Barcelona on Nov. 11.

Protesters blocked highways and industrial areas across Spain from early morning, while public transport ran on reduced schedules. Thousands marched in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia, Zaragoza, and other cities.

Spain's two largest unions, CCOO and UGT, joined tenants groups in calling a 24-hour strike over wages and rising housing costs, drawing criticism from conservative politicians, who called it an attempt to sway the vote 18 days before the snap general election.

The day began early at Mercamadrid, Madrid's main wholesale food market, where about 1,000 strikers gathered. Other protesters blocked or disrupted access roads into the city during the morning rush hour, and similar actions took place at bus depots.

Around midday, protesters disrupted traffic on Gran Vía, forcing stores such as Primark and H&M to close their shutters under pressure from demonstrators who chanted "general strike," "the struggle is the only way," and "we are all antifascists." Riot police later charged at them.

At 6 p.m., the main march left Atocha, Madrid's central train station, and headed toward Plaza de España in heavy rain. Protesters carried left-wing banners and chanted anti-capitalist slogans, and some also chanted pro-Palestinian slogans. The central government's delegation in Madrid put attendance at 120,000, and the Tenants Union put it at 600,000.

Shortly before 9 p.m., as the march ended near Plaza de España, dozens of young protesters threw objects at riot police, who charged and used irritant gas. Protesters then threw flares and put up barricades in nearby streets.

In Barcelona, police counted 55,000 protesters, while organizers claimed 400,000. The march ended in clashes and looting, El País reported.

In Madrid, Juan, an activist with the far-left party Podemos, told The Epoch…

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