Spain held its first general strike in 14 years over housing and the high cost of living, with large demonstrations in Madrid and Barcelona and disruption to transport and public services.
Government officials estimated that 120,000 people demonstrated in Madrid, while Barcelona police put the turnout there at 55,000, according to The Guardian. Organisers claimed 400,000 attended in Barcelona.
In Barcelona, small groups smashed shop windows, set rubbish bins alight and fired fireworks at police. BBC reported that police fired tear gas as clashes broke out following the demonstration.
The strike followed protests over affordable housing and rising living costs after the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from a Madrid flat where she had lived for seven decades. She died in hospital weeks later.
The stoppage came ahead of a snap parliamentary election scheduled for 29 November. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the vote after parliament failed to approve his housing reform plan.
