The general strike on 11N has left various images of clashes and police charges in the streets, although one of the audiovisual documents that has caused the most outrage on social media shows police officers using gas against a homeless person on Madrid's Gran Vía.
The video in question captures the moment when several officers surround a homeless man in the middle of the street. After a few moments of apparent verbal exchange, one of the police officers assaults the individual and sprays him directly in the face with what appears to be pepper spray, causing the victim to immediately turn around while covering his eyes with obvious signs of pain.
🔴LA POLICÍA GASEA A UNA PERSONA SIN HOGAR EN GRAN VÍA Máxima difusión. https://t.co/TIkbz2XGpt
— marcos ⭐️ (@crehpo_) November 11, 2026
Criticism of the Minister of Interior
Political reactions after the general strike day and the police charges recorded in the streets continue to escalate, with a unanimous demand from various sectors to call for the resignation of the Minister of Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska.
Among the most critical voices is that of the Frente Amplio candidate for Madrid, Emilio Delgado, who has demanded the immediate dismissal of the minister from the President of the Government during an interview on Cadena SER, where he also censored the use of pepper spray against attendees: "You cannot offer a hand to citizens when they mobilize for their rights," he declared.
In the same vein, Podemos candidate Irene Montero has settled the matter through her profile on the social network 'X' with a forceful message: "Marlaska has to resign. End of story."
Marlaska tiene que dimitir. Fin.
— Irene Montero (@IreneMontero) November 11, 2026
For his part, the spokesperson and candidate for ERC, Gabriel Rufián, has described the intervention of the agents as "excessive" and has joined the calls for the dismissal of the head of the Interior Ministry in statements to the media upon his arrival at the Permanent Deputation of Congress.
Marlaska orders investigations
Sources from the ministry itself have reported that the Director General of the National Police, Francisco Pardo Piqueras, has been urged by the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, to initiate "specific investigations" into police actions during the general strike on November 11.
According to the same sources, these studies will be carried out independently of the internal review that the National Police conducts on all its actions to verify that they comply with current regulations.
Likewise, Fernando Grande-Marlaska has ordered that, from now on, tear gas not be used in riot control teams.
PSOE assures there will be no resignation
Patxi López, representative of the PSOE in the Congress of Deputies, has stated that his party does not consider the resignation of Fernando Grande-Marlaska, the Minister of the Interior. This request was promoted by Podemos, Sumar, and other left-wing parties after police incidents were recorded during the general strike.
López stated, in interventions carried out in the lower house, which he attended for the meeting of the Permanent Deputation, that the Executive must await the conclusion of the investigation that the head of the Interior has ordered before making decisions. Likewise, the socialist leader emphasized that Grande-Marlaska has prevented the use of tear gas, and also pepper spray, in this type of demonstration.
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