The housing union in the Spanish region of La Rioja has reminded the general strike and the demonstrations on 11 November 2026 as a success. At the same time, it accuses the police of using disproportionate force and intimidation. The representative of the Spanish central government in the region, Beatriz Arraiz, denied the allegation that demonstrators had been intimidated.
In a statement published on 12 November, the housing union said people had taken to the streets, among other reasons, because of high rents, inadequate wages and evictions. It described the mobilisation as a shared success for workers and people organised in residential neighbourhoods. The struggle for housing would continue.
The strike day concluded with a demonstration in the regional capital, Logroño. Estimates of attendance differed: the trade unions put the number at 40,000, while the National Police estimated 15,000, according to Radio Rioja. Another regional publication, citing the government delegation, reported around 10,000 participants. There is no independently confirmed total.
In La Rioja, the housing union and several trade unions called for the demonstration and strike. Their demands concerned not only housing, but also wages, pensions and public services. The action was part of a general strike called across Spain for 11 November.
In Arnedo and Calahorra rallies were also held in the morning. Radio Rioja reported hundreds of participants in the two cities. In Logroño, more than a thousand students and members of the organisations that had called the strike also demonstrated, according to the broadcaster.
The housing union’s spokesperson, Cristina Briongos, had already criticised the police’s actions as disproportionate in comments to Radio Rioja on the day of the strike. Arraiz told the broadcaster, by contrast, that the strike was proceeding normally in La Rioja and that there had been no attempt to intimidate demonstrators. These conflicting assessments alone do not allow a definitive judgement on individual police operations.
Radio Rioja also reported the arrest of a man in the industrial area of La Portalada in Logroño. The government delegation confirmed the arrest to the broadcaster, according to its report. The man was later released; he is being investigated over an alleged assault on a police officer. This is an allegation, not an act established by a court.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).