Tens of thousands demonstrated in Barcelona against housing shortages, rising rents and evictions. Police estimated about 20,000 participants, while organizers put the crowd at 120,000.
The march through the city center was mostly peaceful, though isolated clashes broke out near the end. Media reports said some demonstrators threw bottles and bar chairs toward police and set several rubbish containers on fire. Police detained several young people, according to those reports.
Protesters called for more housing and chanted about people without homes and empty homes. The immediate trigger was the high-profile eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her Madrid apartment. Demonstrations over high rents, housing shortages and inadequate protection from eviction had also taken place in Madrid and other Spanish cities.
The Barcelona rally took place on the day Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced an early general election for November 29. Parliament had recently rejected two decrees intended to address the housing crisis.