Five days after the start of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, tens of thousands of people in Spain took part in a strike on Wednesday to protest Israel’s military action, with clashes between protesters and police reported in Barcelona.
Violent riots broke out in the evening in Barcelona during a demonstration of around 15,000 people.
Masked individuals attacked shops and restaurants that they accused of having ties to Israel, state broadcaster RTVE reported. There were also disturbances in front of the Israeli consulate.
Television footage showed masked people setting fire to large plastic rubbish bins and smashing the windows of a café and a fast food restaurant.
Earlier, there were clashes with the police when protesters tried to prevent the Hapoel Jerusalem basketball team from leaving a train station, RTVE reported.
The Israeli team was scheduled to play a game without spectators against Spanish club Baxi Manresa.
The police used pepper stray against the protesters, who threw bottles and other objects.
Rallies also took place in other major cities, including Madrid, Valencia, Bilbao and Seville.
Trade unions called on people to stop work for two hours at a time in the morning, around lunchtime and in the evening.
Besides slight delays to local transport and short interruptions to television broadcasts, the strike did not cause major disruptions to public life.
Spain is one of the European Union’s harshest critics of Israel’s military action in the Gaza Strip. The country has imposed an arms embargo on Israel and issued entry bans for far-right members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Left-wing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
The Gaza war was triggered by the massacre carried out by Palestinian militant organization Hamas and other extremists from the Gaza Strip in Israel on October 7, 2023, which saw around 1,200 people killed and some 250 others taken hostage.
Israel responded by launching a massive offensive against Hamas in the densely population territory, which the Hamas-controlled health authority in Gaza say has killed more than 67,000 people, mainly civilians.
People with banners and Palestinian flags march between Atocha and Callao in solidarity with Palestine. Richard Zubelzu/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
People Palestinian flags during a united march of pro-Palestinian entities, organized by Prou complicitat amb Israel, in favor of Palestine. David Zorrakino/EUROPA PRESS/dpa
Riot police detain demonstrators during riots at a united march of pro-Palestinian entities, organized by Prou complicitat amb Israel, in favor of Palestine. David Zorrakino/EUROPA PRESS/dpa