Hooded group smashes shop windows and clashes with Mossos after Barcelona housing march

Tens of thousands march for housing

On Wednesday, 11 November 2026, tens of thousands of people filled Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona to demand lower rents and higher wages, on the day of a general strike. Organisers counted about 400,000 participants, while the Guardia Urbana put the figure at about 55,000. Columns had gathered from several neighbourhoods, some of which held informational pickets during the morning, before the march went down Passeig de Gràcia to Plaça Catalunya. El Periódico calls it Spain's first large general strike in 14 years, with Catalonia the most mobilised region of the country. Participants chanted for 'water, light and a roof' as they marched.

Organisers' count400,000

Guardia Urbana count55,000

Organisers' count

400000 people

Guardia Urbana count

55000 people

Data from the article text

Hooded group breaks away from the march

Shortly after 19:30, the Mossos d'Esquadra began intervening on Passeig de Gràcia after a group of hooded people, who had been part of the evening march, attacked shop windows. A second group chanted slogans against police on Via Laietana. La Vanguardia reports that dozens of young people broke the windows of several shops near the junction with Gran Via, in some cases after pulling off protective panels the shops had put up, and that a few fires were started. Several people also fired fireworks at the line of riot officers and police vans deployed in the centre of the city.

The Mossos said in a statement that fireworks were launched repeatedly at the police line before the incidents on the commercial street. Containers were also set alight. The group then moved down to Plaça Catalunya, where it tried to enter an Apple store and was stopped by police. It continued toward Urquinaona and Via Laietana, and police began charges to disperse the participants.

Reactions and the damage balance

Iñaki López reacted to the first disturbances, saying:

“These are not trade unionists, they are looters who took advantage of the chaos to steal.”

Pilar Velasco said the attackers had nothing to do with the strike or the demonstrations, adding that the day belonged to workers and their unions. The Mossos said they would publish the balance of damage, and no damage figures had been published yet.

Housing backdrop

The protest rests on a housing market that CIS barometers have placed as Spaniards' top concern for almost two consecutive years. Data compiled by Esade from INE surveys and Idealista records show that wages in Spain rose 28% on average between 2015 and 2025. Over the same period, the price per square metre to buy rose 80% and the rent per square metre rose 87%. Spaniards leave their parents' home at 30.2 years on average, the fourth-latest age of emancipation in the European Union.