Around a hundred people demonstrated on 11 November 2026 in Calahorra in the Spanish region of La Rioja for better access to housing The rally on the Paseo del Mercadal took place on the day of a general strike. According to the news agency Europa Press, the focus was not only on housing but also on wages and working conditions.
The demonstrators called for affordable rents, an end to evictions and more public housing. They also demanded permanent employment contracts, a 35-hour week, and wages and pensions that make a dignified life possible. According to Europa Press, the rally passed without incident despite the rain and the presence of security forces.
According to a report by broadcaster Cadena SER, the call to demonstrate came from the housing union of La Rioja. According to the report, the protest was attended mainly by young people. The idea of holding a rally of their own in Calahorra had emerged a few weeks earlier at a meeting where the housing issue was raised.
At the same time, people also gathered in neighbouring Arnedo Cadena SER counted nearly 500 participants there. Alongside access to housing, low wages and the state of industry were important issues. The figure for Arnedo does not indicate the level of participation in Calahorra.
Before the strike, the housing union had already said it wanted to link demands for affordable housing with calls for better wages, pensions and public services. According to the organisation, high housing costs and inadequate incomes are a burden on many workers at the same time.
The Calahorra city council had set out the day before minimum service levels for the strike. According to the council, services including the water supply, street cleaning and home help were to continue. The two municipal bus routes were to run hourly. The social canteen, meals on wheels and care at a municipal nursing home were to continue without restrictions.
These figures refer to the measures announced before the strike. They do not indicate how the services actually operated or how many employees went on strike. Nor can the number of rally participants be used to infer the level of strike participation.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).