Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in the Spanish Basque Country for the right to adequate housing on 11 November 2026. In Bilbao, Vitoria and San Sebastián they took to the streets as part of a general strike. The Basque trade unions and housing organisations mobilised separately from the Spain-wide trade unions CCOO and UGT.
The news agency EFE reported tens of thousands of participants in demonstrations in the Basque provincial capitals. No independently verified total for all events was therefore available. The trade union ELA put the combined number of demonstrators in several places in the Basque Country and Navarre at around 200,000. This is a figure provided by the organisers, not an officially confirmed tally.
In Vitoria, a call by ELA, LAB and other groups led to a large march, according to a report by elDiario.es. The socialist housing union also took part. By the time the front of the march had reached Virgen Blanca square, further participants were still filling several streets in the centre, the report said.
CCOO and UGT held a separate rally in Vitoria’s La Florida park. ElDiario.es put attendance there at around 800. The trade union confederations also held separate demonstrations in Bilbao and San Sebastián.
The strike day had a nationwide context: across Spain, trade unions and tenants’ organisations called for work stoppages to demand access to housing and higher wages. In the Basque Country, there was also a separate call by the local trade union majority and housing organisations. Both coalitions put housing centre stage, but emphasised different issues and organised their events separately.
Among other things, ELA called for action against property speculation and for more public funding for housing policy. Its general secretary Mitxel Lakuntza urged people after the demonstration in Bilbao to maintain political pressure on governments and parties.
Participation by workers who stopped work also varied by workplace and sector. Citing trade unions, EFE reported significant effects in industry, retail and hospitality, among other sectors. This does not provide a definitive, independently verified tally of strike participation.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).