A video recorded by Nuevas Generaciones del PP de Madrid at a demonstration in central Madrid shows a PP militant handing prawns to protesters during Spain’s 24-hour nationwide general strike on 11 November 2026. The action, the country’s first general strike in 14 years, was backed by the major unions Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) and Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT), alongside tenants’ associations and other labour groups. Organisers said approximately four million workers took part. The strike focused on housing affordability and public services, alongside wages and purchasing power. Afra Blanco condemned the gesture as mockery of people protesting for housing rights.
The stoppage followed months of anger over housing costs, including rents and evictions. The movement grew from a tenants’ campaign after the late-September eviction of an 87-year-old Madrid pensioner, and its slogan, “Salaries. Housing. Prices.”, connected housing costs with wages and the wider cost-of-living squeeze. Unions and housing campaigners framed the action as a response to deteriorating living conditions, rather than a dispute with a single employer. It came less than three weeks before Spain’s scheduled 29 November snap election. Reuters reported that CCOO leader Unai Sordo said the strike had exceeded the unions’ expectations.
Blanco, a trade unionist and contributor to Más Vale Tarde, challenged PP youth representatives to surrender rights workers had won, including limits on working hours and paid holidays. She also invoked labour reform, which she said had brought more stable conditions to many young people. She urged them to return to the conditions she associated with previous PP governments, which she said had harmed young people.
Blanco said the party was attacking the right to strike, which she described as a constitutional right of workers. The nationwide action disrupted transport and industry; Madrid City Council figures cited by EFE showed road traffic fell 13% and morning passenger numbers on municipal buses dropped 63%. The same strike also disrupted roads in València, as detailed in an earlier report.
