General strike over housing brings out hundreds of thousands in Spain

Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched across Spain in a general strike over housing affordability and purchasing power, just weeks before a snap general election. The strike, the first nationwide 24-hour stoppage in Spain since 2012, saw an estimated 120,000 demonstrators in central Madrid, carrying placards shaped like houses and chanting for more affordable housing.

The protests were sparked by the eviction of an 87-year-old pensioner in Madrid in September, leading to nationwide demonstrations. In Barcelona, around 55,000 people marched through the city's Passeig de Gracia commercial thoroughfare, with union leader Pepe Alvarez calling the participation "massive" and the strike a "huge success."

However, business leaders dismissed the strike as a failure, citing normal activity in most sectors. Police used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse small groups of protesters in Barcelona and Madrid. The strike was called after a wave of nationwide protests over access to housing, with union leaders vowing to put an end to the housing business in the country.