Tension in the center of Madrid with police charges and arrests

MadridMorning with some scenes of tension in Madrid during the general strike. There have been roadblocks and pickets at different access points to the city, which have caused long lines on the roads surrounding the Spanish capital. Hours later, the focus shifted to the Gran Via, where there were charges by the National Police riot squad to clear the street. "An extraordinary success for this strike, only marred by police violence. We cannot allow a Police force that has dedicated itself to hitting people with batons and using pepper spray and throwing it in people's faces," lamented Pepe Álvarez, general secretary of the UGT, in an interview with TVE mid-morning.

Spanish police officers intervened and made several arrests after a long tug-of-war with the demonstrators. They resorted to charges, pushes, hits with shields, slaps with batons, and pepper spray to push back the people who were gathering on the roadway. They also carried rubber bullet shotguns in their hands. A group of people was surrounded by police near Callao and ended up dispersed.

Subsequently, the demonstrators headed towards Puerta del Sol chanting slogans like "Today we do not consume, today we do not work". The National Police protected El Corte Inglés and the people demonstrating moved towards the Congress of Deputies. When they were on Carrera de San Jerónimo, the police officers dispersed them.

Impact on the streets of Madrid

During the morning, there was less influx at Atocha station than on regular days and the trains were leaving in a trickle. Miguel Ángel Aguilar, a worker heading to Guadalajara, explains to ARA that he will not be able to travel, but admits that he understands the reasons for the strike. He came 25 years ago with an employment contract from Peru to work at the Getafe slaughterhouse and considers that the main problem in Spain is housing. “With a salary of 1,240 euros, you can't manage to pay for apartments costing 1,200 euros... that's why people have to live in rooms,” he laments. He also considers that price containment measures do not work because no one controls the landlords. “No one will report it,” he states. “Housing is the daily dilemma of the Spanish people; it causes stress and headaches,” he adds.

A few meters away, the Reina Sofia museum was closed and some tourists were waiting at the doors in case it ended up opening. Rossana, from Italy, was hoping to enter into a conversation with this newspaper. Monday was a holiday and it was closed, and on Tuesday she went to the Prado Museum. Now she had planned for the Reina Sofia and wanted to visit it because she was heading home in the afternoon. The Prado Museum was indeed open. About twenty tourists were queuing to get tickets at the box office, which were operating normally. Inside, however, there were indeed closed rooms because there are workers who have exercised their right to strike.