Spain: general strike against housing crisis
Protests against the housing crisis are being staged in around 130 Spanish towns and cities today. The country's two largest trade unions have also organised a general strike. On Friday, the campaign for the snap general election on 29 November begins. The press looks at what role the protests will play in the run-up to the election.
Government exploiting the situation
La Vanguardia comments on the timing of the protests:
“A general strike called two days before the start of an election campaign that is supported by the government and criticised by the opposition is something quite unusual. ... What is clear is that the PSOE is seeking to stir up the campaign as much as possible with the aim of mobilising its own electorate. And anything goes in this endeavour, right up to backing a general strike. ... The aim is to provoke events that will rouse the disgruntled or dormant progressive voter who is reluctant to return to the polls.”
Better to express anger at the ballot box
El Periódico de Catalunya sees this as a strike against the political establishment as a whole:
“Anyone who supports the strike will do so for very different reasons, but the common denominator is a desire to express their discontent and a certain anger. This climate of anger applies to the entire political class. ... Without denying the deep-seated reasons for this discontent, it is best to express it at the ballot box rather than on the streets. But in this atypical parliamentary term in which the government has never accepted that its investiture majority was not effective – particularly on economic issues – and in which the opposition has constantly questioned the legitimacy of the investiture, it is only natural that it should end with an atypical strike.”
Can the left benefit from the protests?
The protest comes at a convenient time for Spain's left-wing parties, geographer Diego Miralles Buil observes in Le Monde:
“Given the way neighbourhood groups are organising, the strike is likely to take on massive proportions. ... The Spanish Socialists are trying to capitalise on the movement to gain ground in the election on 29 November. Meanwhile the radical left has chosen Ada Colau, the former mayor of Barcelona and a strong advocate for housing, to lead its coalition into the elections. Can they secure a majority? For now, the right and far right are ahead in the polls, and for them the right to housing is not a priority.”