The Mossos allocate half of the agents to the strike and warn that it will be very difficult to move around

BarcelonaIt is a "complex cocktail". This Wednesday's general strike coincides with elections around the corner and many diverse demands on the table, starting with housing –surely the main one–, but also including the demands of the train drivers –and the consequences already seen on the road network– and other mobilized groups such as those in the education sector. There are other elements of the context that do not bode well for a calm day either, such as student mobilizations across Europe, the ephemeral but surprising and violent arrival of Blocus in Catalonia or the increasingly constant warnings of a hybrid war with cyberattacks on essential structures or bomb alerts on planes. All of this is on the table for the Mossos d'Esquadra to try and anticipate what the general strike will be like.

Sources from the Mossos point out that they do not want to be the news on a day like Wednesday and that their goal is to guarantee all rights: the right to strike, but also the right to mobility or to be able to go to work. However, the Catalan police have planned a maximum-level operation, with more than 9,000 officers deployed in four shifts, almost half of the current staff in the force.

Guaranteeing mobility

Ensuring mobility will be one of the main objectives, as the Mossos warn that from the very first hour, from six in the morning, there will be significant disruptions. For those actions that have already been communicated to the police, information pickets and possible blockades are expected at logistics centers, ports, and airports, but complications are also expected on the main access routes to Barcelona, such as the C-58, the ring roads, or the C-17, as well as on the A-2 or the AP-7. The police will reinforce surveillance on the main road axes to prevent blockades and provide traffic alternatives. The force points out that they will handle each blockade "surgically," but they make it clear that, while information pickets are permitted, blockades are not. The Mossos recommend planning trips well in advance, staying informed through official channels, and watching out for rear-end collisions on the roads due to distractions.

Throughout the day there are mobilizations planned, but the largest is expected at 5:30 PM on Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona. The Mossos have given this protest a level of 4 out of 4, the maximum alert. The police believe the demonstration is called with a peaceful intent, but also foresee that after the mobilization as such, once the unions have called it off, incidents with combative groups could occur. They also expect many people to attend the demonstration, more than 50,000 people.

The Blocus phenomenon

Given this scenario, the Mossos, although they have spoken with merchants through the usual channels, are not asking anyone to close or protect their business. The last protest with a level of 4 out of 4 was the one two Saturdays ago for Blocus, when there were thousands of identifications and no new riots occurred. Now the Mossos warn that Blocus no longer has strength –especially after the arrest of 10 agitators in one week– and that it is not expected to have an impact on the strike. In fact, they state that it will not be a deployment like the one for Blocus, with so many filters and so many identifications: "We are treating it like any other strike. We are returning to normality," they point out from the force.

Above all, they frame the potential riots as possible actions by anarchist or extreme-left groups and not by Blocus. However, given the current context, they will carry out more prevention and will be more vigilant against possible cyberattacks and attempts at destabilization. The police also do not rule out using OC spray, popularly known as pepper spray, as they consider it a useful option, but they warn that they will only use it in contexts of violent riots and not in peaceful resistance.

Regarding the housing encampment in Plaça Catalunya, there are no plans to evict it, nor is it expected to be an added element of complexity or conflict regarding the development of the strike.