4 Million Join Spain's First General Strike in 14 Years as Housing Costs Roil Election
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Nov 11
4 Million Join Spain's First General Strike in 14 Years as Housing Costs Roil Election
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Nov 11
Summary
About 4 million people had joined Spain’s 24-hour general strike by midday, tenants’ groups said, in a nationwide protest over soaring housing costs less than three weeks before the Nov. 29 election.
90% participation in automotive and port sectors and 82% in waste collection helped shut schools, universities and much of Barcelona’s transport, with roadblocks on the AP-7 and pickets at factories, markets and hubs.
More than 40 people were arrested over minor incidents, including scuffles near Madrid’s main wholesale market, while over 90 marches were planned before storms forced cancellations in Cádiz and Huelva.
80% rent growth over a decade and 63% home-price increases have turned housing into a central political fault line, after protests surged following the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal.
Pedro Sánchez embraced the strike as proof of labor’s role in social gains, while conservatives called it political theater ahead of polls that point to a possible People’s Party-Vox coalition.
Could Spain's first general strike in 14 years flip the upcoming snap election, or will the housing crisis sink the ruling party?
Will heavily taxing corporate landlords solve Spain's urban housing shortage, or could it accidentally halt new construction entirely?
With millions of rural homes sitting empty, can Spain creatively repurpose its ghost towns to solve the crushing urban rent crisis?
Spain’s November 11, 2026 General Strike: Housing Crisis, Youth Mobilization, and the Battle for Economic Justice
Overview
Spain’s November 2026 general strike was sparked by the tragic eviction and death of María del Carmen Abascal after an investment fund demanded a massive rent increase. Her story ignited mass protests, as a severe housing shortage and soaring rents left young workers struggling to afford shelter. Housing activists, unable to call a strike themselves, rallied major trade unions to join forces, leading to a nationwide shutdown across key sectors. The crisis deepened when parliament rejected rent control measures, prompting a snap election. This wave of unrest reflected both Spain’s depleted public housing and a broader European movement against unaffordable living costs.