Politics Strikes and demonstrations in Spain against Israel over Gaza
Five days after the start of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, tens of thousands of people in Spain took part in a strike called by trade unions against Israel's military action. Violent riots broke out in Barcelona in the evening during a demonstration of around 15,000 people. Hooded demonstrators attacked stores and restaurants which they accused of having links or proximity to Israel, as reported by the state TV station RTVE. Riots also broke out in front of the Israeli consulate.
15.10.2025, 21:00
15.10.2025, 22:07
SDA
Demonstrators wanted to block Israeli athletes
It was possible to see on television how masked people set fire to large plastic garbage containers and smashed the windows of a café and a fast food restaurant. There had already been clashes with the police at Sants station. Demonstrators had tried to prevent the Hapolel Jerusalem basketball team from leaving the station, reported state TV station RTVE. The Israelis were due to play a match without an audience against the local club Baxi Manresa. The police used pepper spray and demonstrators threw bottles and other objects.
Unions had called for strikes
Several trade unions had called for protests and strikes to protest against Israel's military intervention in the coastal strip, which has been denounced as genocide. People were to stop work for two hours in the morning, at midday and in the evening. There was initially no news of any major impact on public life. There were some slight delays to local public transport and some TV stations had brief interruptions to their broadcasts. There were also demonstrations in other major cities such as Madrid, Valencia, Bilbao and Seville.
Within the EU, Spain is one of the fiercest critics of Israel's military action in the Gaza Strip. The country has imposed an arms embargo on Israel and issued entry bans against ultra-right-wing members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. The left-wing head of government Pedro Sánchez accuses Israel of genocide in the Gaza Strip.
The Gaza war was triggered by the massacre by the Islamist Hamas and other extremists from the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023 in Israel, which left around 1,200 dead and 250 displaced. Israel responded with massive attacks on Hamas in the densely populated area. According to Palestinian figures, more than 67,000 people were killed, the majority of them civilians.
