Spain's first general strike in 14 years fills streets over housing and wages; Barcelona night ends in riots and dozens of arrests

Spain's first general strike in 14 years fills streets over housing and wages; Barcelona night ends in riots and dozens of arrests.

Hundreds of thousands of workers walked off the job across Spain on Wednesday in the country's first general strike in 14 years, called by the main unions, CC OO and UGT, over the housing crisis and the high cost of living, the BBC and El País reported.

About 120,000 people marched in Madrid, according to the central government's delegation, and more than 55,000 in Barcelona, according to the city's Guardia Urbana; organizers put the Barcelona crowd at 400,000. Marchers chanted for access to housing, higher wages and an end to property speculation, El País reported. Barcelona's main march was backed by the tenants' union Sindicat de Llogateres.

The strike snarled travel. El País reported that about 24% of AVE high-speed trains and more than 280 flights were canceled, and roads were blocked in Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona. Unions called the day "very successful," while employers' groups called it a "failure," saying fewer than 5% of workers took part.

After the Barcelona march was called off, groups of mostly masked young people threw fireworks at Catalonia's Mossos d'Esquadra police, smashed shop windows, looted stores and set bins and street furniture on fire near Passeig de Gràcia and Plaça de Catalunya, EFE and the BBC reported. A fire was set at the door of the Apple Store, and some residents and shopkeepers confronted the rioters. Police in Madrid also charged to disperse crowds around 9 p.m.

Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni said 50 people were arrested in the city, and El País counted at least 74 arrests nationwide during the day. Catalan President Salvador Illa said the violence did not represent the people who marched: "protest is legitimate, violence is not," he wrote, according to Ara.

For millions of Spanish renters, the grievance behind the strike is simple: rents and home prices have climbed far faster than pay. The question now is whether Madrid responds to the marchers or to the riot footage.