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Spain Faces 24-Hour General Strike Over Housing Crisis

  • On Wednesday, November 11, 2026, millions of Spanish workers participated in a 24-hour general strike, paralyzing transport and industry to demand government action on the nation's severe housing affordability crisis.
  • Nationwide outrage over the September eviction and death of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal fueled the walkout, as soaring rents and a structural deficit of 750,000 homes leave many citizens unable to afford housing.
  • Major unions UGT and CCOO reported 90% participation in automotive and port sectors, though police pepper-sprayed protesters at Madrid's Mercamadrid wholesale market, leaving at least 13 people seeking medical attention.
  • Opposition parties dismissed the protest as a political maneuver ahead of the November 29 snap election, with Popular Party spokesperson Miguel Tellado calling it an "election strike" rather than a labor action.
  • With the snap election approaching, the strike underscores intense political polarization over housing, as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez faces trailing polls and a potential challenge from a far-right coalition.
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Lean Left

A general strike was held in Spain for the first time in 14 years on Wednesday to protest the worsening housing crisis and soaring property prices, the Guardian reports. The 24-hour work stoppage was called by tenants' associations, which were later joined by trade unions. According to organisers, around four million people took part in the strike. The strike has paralysed several sectors, with union figures showing 90 per cent participation in …

·Hungary
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Lean Right

At the end of the first general strike in 14 years, mass protests against rising rents and housing prices are taking place.

·Vienna, Austria
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Center

Millions of Spaniards participated in a general strike on Wednesday to protest the country's housing crisis.

·Helsinki, Finland
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El Pais broke the news in Madrid, Spain on Monday, November 2, 2026.
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