Fiery clashes erupt in Spain as millions join general strike

Unrest broke out in cities across Spain on Wednesday after millions of workers joined the country's first general strike in 14 years.

Footage showed clashes between demonstrators and riot police in Barcelona, with bins set on fire and shop windows smashed during a nationwide protest over housing, evictions and high living costs.

More than 55,000 people took to the streets in the city, according to officials, while an estimated 120,000 turned out in the capital Madrid, where law enforcement used foam bullets, tear gas and pepper spray to disperse protesters.

There were dozens of arrests nationwide, according to authorities, while businesses were temporarily closed and public transport was disrupted across Spain - which is set to hold a snap general election later this month.

The general strike, the first in Spain since 2012, was backed by the country's two largest unions - the General Union of ​Workers and the Workers' Commissions - which represent more than a million workers.

Unions said the strike was a success, although participation was uneven across the country, with stormy weather affecting some planned demonstrations.

The strike was also supported by tenants' associations angry about rising rents, which have almost doubled on average in the last decade.

According to the Youth Council of Spain, the average rental price of €1,176 (£982) is equivalent to about 98.7% of a young person's average monthly salary in the country.

Almudena Lopez, 74, who attended the protest in Madrid with her husband, said: "My son is 43 years old and still doesn't own a home as he cannot afford one."

She said her son, who works in IT, has to rent a small room in a shared apartment.

"When I was young, if you had a university degree, you could get a job by saving a bit - which always required some sacrifice - but you could manage. It's nothing like it is today," she added.

Carlos Ferrer, a 45-year-old customer service worker who had been travelling home from Barcelona, said "radical measures" were sometimes needed, adding: "Authorities need to feel pressure from the citizens so they can do something."

Activists hope the strike will lead to more regulations to protect tenants and crack down on real estate speculation.

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It comes following weeks of demonstrations prompted by the eviction and subsequent death of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal in Madrid.

Ms Abascal, a wheelchair user, became a symbol of Spain's housing crisis after she was forcibly removed from her apartment, where she had lived for seven decades, in September.

She had been allowed to return home after tens of thousands of people protested in the city, but died a few days later.

Those demonstrations, along with parliament's rejection last month of government decrees aimed at curbing evictions and limiting rent pressures, led to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez calling an election, with the vote set for 29 November.

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