Under the rain and to the shouts of “Strike, strike, general strike,” thousands of protesters have marched this Wednesday along the Gran Vía in Madrid, where they have managed to interrupt traffic during the general strike of November 11. With arms interlocked and forming a long line, the participants have advanced along one of the capital’s main shopping streets, watched over by a large deployment of the National Police.
As they advanced, the pickets stopped at different establishments to ask their employees to pull down the shutters and join the strike. Each closure was met with applause. Among the businesses that have suspended their activity are chains such as Starbucks and Calzedonia, while others had protected their shop windows with wooden boards for fear of possible incidents.
Since midnight, when the 24-hour strike began, acts of vandalism have been reported against several premises in central Madrid. Among the affected establishments are franchises and real-estate businesses, such as Alquiler Seguro, as well as a McDonald's on Gran Vía whose door showed damage.
Police divert protesters toward Callao and Sol
To control the advance of the protest, several riot-control units have set up a security cordon at the level of Fuencarral Street. The officers, equipped with shields and riot-control equipment, have tried to clear part of Gran Vía and lead the protesters toward nearby streets.
After preventing them from continuing toward Cibeles, where shortly before the general secretaries of CCOO and UGT had appeared before the media, the rally has been directed toward Callao. Along the way, the pickets have continued to call for the closure of shops on the streets of Preciados, Montera and El Carmen, with chants such as “The people united will never be defeated” and “Either with capital or with the working class.” Chants against the National Police have also been heard.
At the same time, the police deployment has spread to Alcalá Street, especially around the Sevilla metro station. Part of the protesters have been diverted toward Puerta del Sol and passage through Mesonero Romanos has been restricted to facilitate control of the rally.
Teachers’ protests and disruptions on the Metro
Teachers have also mobilized outside the offices of the Ministry of Education of the Community of Madrid, on Calle Alcalá, to demand labor improvements and improvements in public education.
During the morning, a protest action on the Line 5 of Metro has forced the temporary suspension of stops at Callao station. To disruptions to public transport have been added road closures and circulation restrictions on several streets in the city center, where police units have remained deployed while the mobilizations continued.