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The clashes began after the end of major protests marking the first general strike in 14 years. More than 50 thousand people took to the streets of Barcelona, and after the main demonstration, people in masks began to set fire to garbage cans and smash shop windows.
The main route of the demonstrations passed through Paseo de Gracia, Barcelona's main avenue. During the day, protesters gathered there from different columns. As El País notes, the march took place rather in a festive atmosphere. Barcelona police estimate that 55,000 people took part; Trade unions have other, much more impressive figures - 400 thousand members.
The reason for the strike was the protracted housing crisis in Spain. The protests were jointly supported by Spain's two largest trade unions, UGT and CCOO, as well as other trade union organizations and tenant associations, outraged by rising rents and evictions.
Spain faces a shortage of about 750,000 homes, according to the central bank. The country is expected to be short of more than a million homes by 2028.
After the strike officially ended, a group of people smashed shop windows along Paseo de Gracia, looted some of them and set the shops on fire and set them on fire.
The Lego toy store suffered the most damage, with its façade damaged. Protesters were also seen trying to enter the Apple store, BBC correspondents reported.
Dozens of garbage containers were set on fire on the street, and clashes with the police occurred.
A BBC correspondent spoke with a participant in the protests in Barcelona: according to her, in general the action was very peaceful and even “joyful.” The woman said she came to protest against high housing prices, adding that “there were a lot of children and elderly people there.”
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In the evening she was in the area of La Rambla and saw bonfires on the streets. “The fire was everywhere, the situation was very tense,” she said.
The President of the Generalitat of Catalonia (the highest governing body of the autonomy, Salvador Illa, condemned the unrest. “Neither violence nor vandalism reflects the position of the people who demonstrated peacefully throughout the day. In Catalonia, those who commit crimes will pay for it,” wrote Salvador Illa on the social network X.
According to Barcelona Mayor Jaume Colboni, Catalan police have arrested 50 people in connection with the incidents. He also announced that the city council would join the damages lawsuit.
The nationwide strike follows weeks of protests following the eviction and subsequent death of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid.
In October, Spain's parliament rejected a government decree aimed at curbing evictions for non-payment and curbing runaway rental costs. Along with ongoing protests, this forced Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to call early elections for November 29.
Socialists led by Pedro Sánchez supported the protests and blamed the housing crisis on the right-wing opposition.
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