Millions of workers took to the streets across Spain’s major cities in a nationwide strike against soaring rents and property prices, disrupting transport and closing businesses in the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy.

The mass protest — held under the banner “Salaries. Housing. Prices.” — represents the country’s first general strike in 14 years, and the first driven primarily by anger over the cost of living and housing. It comes as Spain’s left-wing government attempts to mobilise voters ahead of a snap election later this month, facing difficult opinion polls.

Meanwhile, housing campaigners are demanding tighter regulation of tenants’ rights and a crackdown on real estate speculation.

Demonstrations culminated in major gatherings in Madrid, Barcelona, and other cities. Organisers said 400,000 marchers packed the streets of Barcelona, while municipal officials put the turnout at 55,000, behind a large banner stating “Live. Not Just Survive.”

In Madrid, government officials estimated that 120,000 people took part despite heavy rainfall.

Following a peaceful demonstration in Barcelona, small groups of younger protesters smashed windows of major brand-name stores along the Paseo de Gracia shopping avenue. Fires were set outside retail outlets, rubbish bins were burnt, and fireworks were launched at riot police who responded in armoured vans.

A group of hooded individuals also tried to force entry into an Apple store in the city centre.

Throughout the day, Barcelona’s metro and bus services ceased operating outside of rush-hour periods, significantly reducing traffic, though many smaller businesses such as cafes remained open.

Sandra Mora from the Madrid Tenants’ Union told the broadcaster RNE: “It’s extremely important to remind people that we, the workers – who are also renters or who also pay mortgages – are the ones with the power to halt production and bring the economy to a standstill.”

Pepe Alvarez, head of the big UGT labour union, said that there was “massive” participation and that the strike was a success.

Carlos Ferrer, a 45-year-old customer service worker attempting to return to Alicante by train from Barcelona, said that sometimes only “radical measures such as a general strike” can force a change of course.

“Authorities need to feel pressure from the citizens so they can do something,” he said.

In the capital, umbrella-bearing crowds filled the Paseo del Prado boulevard as rain continued into the evening.

Almudena López, 74, joined the protest alongside her husband out of concern for their children. “My son is 43 years old and still doesn’t own a home as he can’t afford one,” López said, explaining that her son worked in IT but could only afford to rent a room in a shared property.

“When I was young, if you had a university degree, you could get a job by saving a bit — which always required some sacrifice — but you could manage. It’s nothing like it is today.”

Although organised by Spain’s two primary trade union federations, the strike was largely driven by grassroots housing movements formed predominantly of younger people facing housing pressures.

“This strike is against rent seekers, against real estate speculators, against large companies that get rich by selling properties and, of course, against all the levels of government,” grassroots campaigner Valeria Racu told reporters in Madrid.

“We are here to show that we have the capacity to mark our own agenda and we are going to keep doing so no matter who governs.”

Trade unions declared the strike a resounding success whereas business organisations argued that participation was minimal.

“The strike has exceeded the labour unions’ expectations,” said Unai Sordo, secretary-general of CCOO, one of the two main unions behind the walkout in a country of 22 million registered workers.

CCOO and UGT reported widespread disruption in key industrial sectors, claiming participation touched 90 per cent in automotive manufacturing and ports, 85 per cent in meat processing, 82 per cent in waste collection, and 75 per cent in the energy sector. Schools and universities across the country were also shut.

However, the leading business group CEOE described the strike as a “failure”, estimating overall worker involvement at roughly 5 per cent.

Both unions and business groups acknowledged that participation was noticeably higher in heavy industry and transport than in sectors such as retail and hospitality.

Spanish airport operator AENA reported that approximately 5 per cent of flights across the country were cancelled on Wednesday.

Isolated incidents occurred during the early hours of the strike, including scuffles between picketers and police near Madrid’s main wholesale market, where officers deployed pepper spray.

Police confirmed that 49 people were arrested across the country for strike-related offences. Some local media reports said that estate agencies had seen attacks on their offices.

Average rent prices in Spain have almost doubled over the last decade, severely straining domestic budgets and driving public anger. According to the property portal Idealista, the monthly rent for a 50sqm apartment in Madrid averaged €1,170 in October. Spain’s average gross monthly salary is about €2,460.

Anger boiled over following an 87-year-old woman’s eviction in Madrid last month. The subsequent death of the woman, known publicly as Maricarmen, turned her into a powerful symbol for citizens struggling to access affordable housing.

Campaigners used the outcry over Maricarmen’s death to call for the strike, quickly securing union support.

“We’ve completely brought the city to a standstill,” a protester in Madrid told Reuters, adding that there was widespread support for the general strike.

“Everyone’s out there, despite the rainy weather, everyone’s out on the streets.”

Housing groups are demanding the automatic renewal of rental leases alongside stronger tenant protections, while trade unions are pressing for an increase in public housing, and a new national minimum wage agreement.

Following the unrest over Maricarmen’s eviction, prime minister Pedro Sánchez called an early general election for 29 November, hoping to retain power for his left-wing coalition. But his campaign suffered a blow in late October when a high-speed train collision, Spain’s second fatal rail crash this year, left 69 people dead.

Political analyst Oriol Bartomeus suggested the strike offered an opportunity for Sánchez’s party and its allies to refocus the political debate.

“The Socialists need for the strike to be a success and for there not to be any violence so that the election campaign can swing back to being about housing,” said Bartomeus, professor of political science at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

Sánchez kept a low profile on Wednesday. Earlier in the week, he shared a video on X highlighting historic social victories like the 40-hour working week and healthcare system, describing them as achievements of the labour movement.

“It wasn’t easy, but they changed Spain,” Sánchez said, warning that right-wing parties would underfund public services if elected.

Opposition politicians from the conservative Popular Party and the far-right Vox party accused the unions of staging the strike to support Sánchez’s campaign.

“This is a gift by the unions to their political parties during the build-up to a campaign where it is clear the left needs all the help it can get,” Popular Party spokesman Miguel Tellado said.