Barcelona housing demonstration turns violent as police arrest 13 and report 30 officers injured

Clashes across the city centre

A demonstration over housing costs in Barcelona ended in violent clashes on Monday night, leading to the arrest of 13 people and leaving 30 police officers with minor injuries. The Mossos d'Esquadra reported that 12 adult men and one underage female were detained on public disorder charges. Tensions flared around 21:30 when organizers officially called off the demonstration at the intersection of Passeig de Gràcia and Gran Via, but segments of the crowd remained on the street. At approximately 22:15, officers launched baton charges after demonstrators threw glass bottles, cobblestones, fireworks, and bar terrace furniture at police lines.

The unrest spread toward Plaça Catalunya, where hooded individuals set up 28 barricades, ignited 22 fires, and hurled construction materials, fire extinguishers, iron bars, and knives at officers. Firefighters extinguished burning waste containers and construction debris on Carrer de Pelai under police escort. Mossos deployed foam projectiles to disperse crowds before disturbances subsided around midnight.

March route and attendance figures

The mobilization had been rescheduled from the previous Saturday because of a red weather warning for heavy rain across Catalonia. Protesters gathered at Plaça Urquinaona starting around 19:30 before proceeding along Ronda de Sant Pere, Arc de Triomf, Passeig de Sant Joan, and Gran Via. Demonstrators shook bunches of keys in unison, an established symbol against real estate speculation and rising rents.

Attendance numbers varied widely between municipal authorities and the organizers of the march. The Guàrdia Urbana estimated the crowd at 20,000 people, while organizing tenant associations stated that 120,000 individuals joined the protest.

Demands for a nationwide general strike

Housing collectives, including the Sindicat de Llogateres, joined labour confederations CCOO and UGT during the march to advocate for a nationwide general strike in November. Demonstrators chanted slogans such as "water, electricity and a roof" and "it makes no sense: people without homes and homes without people." Spain has not experienced a total 24-hour stoppage endorsed by major trade unions since 2013, when unions protested against labour reforms introduced by Mariano Rajoy.

Union leadership and tenant platforms have held joint meetings since the preceding Friday to coordinate actions. While tenant unions demanded a complete work stoppage, CCOO and UGT representatives weighed options for partial walkouts. Participants voiced concern over long-term affordability trends that intensified following recent evictions in the region.

Political backdrop and encampments

The protest occurred hours after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that Spain will hold early general elections on 29 November 2026. That decision followed the defeat of proposed housing decrees in the Congress of Deputies the preceding week. In central Barcelona, a tent camp established a week earlier in Plaça Catalunya remained in place during the unrest, with some rioters using the tents as cover during police dispersals.

Participants across multiple generations attended the gathering to demand legislative interventions on rent caps and property pricing. Eusebio, an 85-year-old resident attending the demonstration, explained his motivation for marching:

I was at home and thought I should be here because I have three grandchildren. They did not come because they do not understand much about this yet, but I thought my obligation was to be here in defence of all the people who are mobilising here for housing because I know that my grandchildren will find themselves in this situation one day. At least I have tried to keep that from happening.

Organizers plan to continue demonstrations across Spanish cities in the weeks preceding the November vote.