The Interior spokesperson for Sumar in Congress, Enrique Santiago, has described the police charge recorded this Tuesday at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), during protests in defense of public education, as “unjustified, unacceptable, and brutal,” and has demanded that the Government delegate in Madrid, the socialist Francisco Martín, “immediately” dismiss the police commander responsible for the action.
The events occurred next to the Faculty of Chemical Sciences, where student organizations accused the Police of carrying out a “savage and indiscriminate” intervention, which, according to their complaint, caused injuries to some protesters. In the balance of the intervention, the Police arrested five people and, on the other hand, at least two officers were slightly injured due to clashes with demonstrators.
The indefinite strike begins with sit-ins and pickets in Madrid
The Madrid public education strike began this Wednesday with an overnight sit-in at the Faculty of Information Sciences of the Complutense and with a brief traffic cut on the Castellana promenade. In addition, unions such as Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) reported the presence of pickets in different educational centers in the region.
The indefinite strike for public education in protest against the management of the Government of the Community of Madrid by Isabel Díaz Ayuso began this Wednesday morning, where police charges are taking place against students demonstrating in Ciudad Universitaria; for the moment, it is unknown where the order to initiate the charges against the students came from.
Teachers and students of Madrid's public education system began an indefinite strike this Wednesday, October 14, against the policies of Isabel Díaz Ayuso's Government. The call comes after months of protests and requests for negotiation with the Ministry of Education, and its main demands include reducing the number of students per class, reinforcing staff, improving remuneration, and guaranteeing adequate facilities.
The strike affects schools, high schools, and Vocational Training, and is accompanied by concentrations and demonstrations in the center of Madrid, on a day when the student movement and teachers have tried to continue the mobilizations initiated in recent weeks.
Cross-criticism between the Ministry and the organizers
On the eve of the mobilization, the Minister of Education, Science and Universities, Mercedes Zarzalejo, described the strike as “incomprehensible” and called the demands made by the organizers “impossible.” Zarzalejo assured that she is negotiating on professional career and defended the sectoral agreement previously signed.
For the strike promoters, that response does not resolve the staff shortages, salary problems, or difficulties in attending to students that, they argue, justify the protest. In this context, Enrique Santiago has also expressed his support for the general education strike and has stressed on the social network X that Madrid is the autonomous community that allocates the lowest percentage of its budget to public education.
“Result: terrible conditions for teachers, unacceptable ratios, and lack of resources and infrastructure,” said the spokesperson for Sumar.
Union support and call from the Student Union
The teachers' strike, approved in June, has the backing of CCOO, UGT, CGT, CNT, STEM, and Solidaridad Obrera, along with the collectives Menos Lectivas, Queremos FP, and Educación Especial Digna. Its scope includes non-university public education, including the stages of schools, high schools, vocational training, and special regime education.
For its part, the Student Union has called on students to join an indefinite strike starting this Wednesday. Its mobilization calendar combines actions within centers with street protests, with pickets from 8:00 a.m., a concentration in Sol at 12:00 p.m., and a demonstration between Atocha and Sol at 6:00 p.m.