Barricades and police charges at the end of the housing demonstration in Barcelona

BarcelonaOutbreak of tension at the end of the demonstration in defense of housing in the center of Barcelona. After a couple of hours of peaceful protests, the Mossos d'Esquadra charged against a large group of protesters –mostly made up of young people– who lit bonfires at the intersection of Gran Via and Passeig de Gràcia and threw stones, bottles, pyrotechnics, and urban furniture at the officers. The operation, which featured a heavy deployment of vans and Brimo officers, ended after midnight. The police carried out several identifications and arrested at least 13 people for public disorder, one of whom is a minor.

Once the protest was formally called off, around 10 PM, the Mossos d'Esquadra deployed a police cordon to contain the advance of some protesters, many of whom were hooded. Minutes earlier, at the height of Passeig de Gràcia and Diputació, a group had already tried to break the police line. From that moment on, the tension escalated by the moment. At the roundabout of Passeig de Gràcia and Gran Via, a barrage of objects and pyrotechnics was launched against the officers and some shop windows, and the police responded with baton strikes. Bonfires were also lit, and while one column of people moved in the direction of Plaça Catalunya and another towards Tetuan, hundreds of people headed towards Plaça Catalunya.

In this central square –where the encampment in defense of housing is located– several centers of tension have been forming. Plaça Catalunya, Pelai, la Rambla, Balmes... The burning of dumpsters has reached the intersection between Roger de Llúria and Gran Via. Protesters have used fences, dumpsters, and construction rubble to build barricades and set them on fire. In the center of the Catalan capital, smoke has stained the air, while firefighters have rushed to extinguish the bonfires. Graffiti calling for a strike has also been made.

In parallel, the officers have attempted to encapsulate the group that was causing disturbances in Plaça Catalunya, but the protesters have taken advantage of this time to set up more barricades and accumulate material to throw at the police line. Some officers have fired foam projectiles as a response to deter them.

One of the most tense moments took place in the Canaletes area: there, the protesters obtained material from the roadworks on La Rambla and new episodes of throwing objects and police charges occurred. Finally, the Mossos pushed the activists towards the center of the square and surrounded them, positioning themselves at all access points to the square. The Catalan police estimate that 28 barricades were set up throughout the night and the Fire Department extinguished 22 fires. In addition, there were 28 minor injuries among officers.

Thousands of protesters

This Monday at 7 p.m., unions and housing advocacy organizations held the demonstration that Saturday's storm had postponed, which did take place in other major cities across the country. The housing crisis has turned everything upside down in just a few weeks, and tenants' unions are warning that the early call for elections does not solve any problems or change plans for a general strike. This was confirmed by the thousands of protesters who once again took to the streets of Barcelona to flatly reject speculation and demand the right to housing. The protest brought together 20,000 people according to the Barcelona City Council, and 120,000 according to the organizers.

The demonstration began at Plaça Urquinaona and moved along Ronda Sant Pere to the Arc de Triomf. When the head of the march reached this point, there were still protesters at the starting point who had not yet begun to move due to the large influx of people. Shouting "No neighbor out of the neighborhoods," "Rentiers guilty, governments responsible," and "It makes no sense, people without homes and homes without people," they advanced along Passeig de Sant Joan to Plaça Tetuan. The demonstration continued along Gran Via and ended at Passeig de Gràcia. The organizers called for participation in the encampment at Plaça Catalunya.

The call to action has appealed to people of all kinds, and the profile of the protesters is quite diverse. Laia, Lucas, and Núria are students and still live with their parents, but they did not hesitate to take to the streets this Monday to demonstrate for the right to housing. "We will never be able to emancipate ourselves like this, it's our future," he explains. David, on the other hand, explains that he is a homeowner and that he came in solidarity with all the people who cannot afford to buy an apartment. "Rents are impossible, and luckily I was able to buy an apartment. I am mortgaged for 30 years, mind you," he says. He wants to make it clear that he is one of the few in his group who has been able to buy.

Before the protesters began the march, ARA reported that there will be a general strike for housing before the Spanish elections on November 29th. The majority unions, CCOO and UGT, have announced that they support the strike proposed days ago by the tenants' unions, which already had the support of the CGT union on Sunday, according to sources familiar with the talks. The spokesperson for the Tenants' Union, Carme Arcarazo, welcomed the accession and argued that broad consensus is needed to carry out this strike. "We want this strike to be a success: we are facing a very powerful enemy," she warned. And she added: "We have one month to organize the entire working class of the country.

The spokesperson for the Socialist Housing Union of Catalonia, Gisela Bermúdez, has lashed out at all political leaders and said that "there is no party that really wants to end the housing crisis" because "no party wants to break with the housing business." She also demanded "the expropriation of all apartments" from large holders, banks, and vulture funds; cutting rent prices in half and applying indefinite contracts so that the working class "stops suffering from anxiety.

The Housing Union Confederation of Catalonia also wanted to point out the role of the Generalitat government in the housing crisis. According to its spokesperson, Marta Espriu, President Illa also has "responsibility" in managing the situation. And, from the PAH, Juanjo Ramón celebrated that "the streets have awakened," and believes it is "a window of opportunity" and "a framework of hope" for everyone who has lost their home in recent years.