This is the moment riot police used pepper spray during general strike protests in Madrid on Wednesday.
Artist and content creator Samantha Hudson said she and actress Laura Weissmahr needed medical attention after being sprayed directly in the face while marching in the capital.
‘He sprayed it without us doing anything,’ Hudson told El Pais, insisting that she and those alongside her had been standing peacefully at the front of the demonstration.
Visibly distressed, she described struggling to breathe and experiencing severe anxiety.
Police intervened to clear demonstrators who had blocked Gran Via for more than two hours. Madrid’s police headquarters said two people were arrested on suspicion of assaulting officers.
In Murcia, a protest led by CCOO and the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages (PAH) led El Corte Ingles on Avenida de la Libertad to close its doors temporarily.
Store director Hugo Lorente came outside to speak with representatives of the organisations.
The department store subsequently reopened and normal trading resumed, according to COPE.
Earlier protests in Murcia included road blockages in the El Carmen neighbourhood and pickets around the bus station before demonstrators moved towards the city centre.
Strike organisers claimed participation ranged from 75% in Andalucia and Aragon to 41% in Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha, alongside a fall in electricity consumption of close to 10%.
At least 27 arrests had been reported nationwide during the opening hours of the mobilisation.
