Madrid (Spain)—Last November 14 was the second general strike this year convened in Spain against the government of Mariano Rajoy, leader of the right-wing Popular Party, which took power a year ago after eight years of socialist rule.
Under the slogan “They leave us without a future,” the principle Spanish trade unions—Comisiones Obreras, Union General de Trabajadores y Union Sindical Obrera—convened workers to show their disagreement with the policies of the new government.
The strike, part of a day of mobilizations in other European countries, showed the opposition to the budget cuts for the reduction of the public administration’s deficit, in which public health and education are suffering the most.
The assessments following the strike were, as usual, a dance in figures: unions signaled a 76.7 percent of participation in the strike, while the government calculated nine million workers that supported the strike (around 40%), an inferior quantity of more than 10 million who backed up the March 29 strike.
The greater divergence was in the data in assistance to the protest in Madrid: the Delegación de Gobierno accounted for 35,000 people, while the unions more than a million.
During the day of strike tense moments were lived amongst the police and demonstrators in various Spanish cities, due to union picketing calling to the adhesion of the strike, due to the police who confronted protesters who gathered at different points of the city.
Protests following the closing event of the day concluded with the burning of containers and damage to physical structures in the center of Madrid.
In the city of Tarragona, a 13 year-old minor was assaulted in a police charge, while in Valencia, demonstrators conglomerated at the doors of the Banco de España demanding an end to evictions due to foreclosures.
Meanwhile, in Barcelona, the national flags were plenty in a protest that opened with a sign that read “Without independence there is no solution.”
In the days that followed the strike, the government emphasized a possible review to the right to protest due to the violent acts that happened.
In the beginning of October, after protests convened by the so called May 15 movement (Occupy) on Sept. 25, Cristina Cifuentes, delegate for the Government of Madrid, said the current law is “very permissive and wide,” to the right of assembly and demonstration, betting on “modulate” to “rationalize the use of public space.”
However, for the time being there hasn’t been a clear intention from neither party to modify the legislation in regards to protests.
With a total of 47 million inhabitants, from which 23 million are of working age, Spain counts with almost six million unemployed citizens, a 25 percent, and the rate of unemployment amongst its youth surpasses 50 percent, in accordance to data provided in October by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística.
—Translation Clarivel Fong