Valencia housing march: 9 police hurt, general strike looms

Today's essentials (5 key points)

• Valencia Extra reports that Sagunto's October council meeting, postponed because of the red rain alert, will now be held on Thursday 8 October at 8:30, with the 2027 budget on the agenda.
• The AEMET has lifted the red rain alert in the provinces of Tarragona and Castellón after more than 250 litres per square metre fell overnight, Libertad Digital reports.
• Castellón Airport handled 45,900 passengers in September, up 15.8% on a year earlier, according to La Voz de Alzira.
• The Port Authority of Valencia now puts the cost of its new container terminal at 1,656 million euros, a 64% rise, elDiario.es reports.
• The Gran Feria Medieval in la Pobla de Vallbona runs from 8 to 12 October 2026, with a market, tournaments and historical re-enactments, according to Valencia Bonita.

Today's essentials

Valencia housing march: 9 police hurt, general strike looms. Saturday's housing march in Valencia left nine National Police officers injured and several people arrested, and some protesters set up a tent camp on Plaza del Ayuntamiento. The unions are now preparing a 24-hour general strike over housing, so rent will be one of the big issues of the autumn.

The march left Puerta del Mar at 11:00 on Saturday 3 October 2026 and headed for the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in the City of Arts and Sciences, Libertad Digital reports. The Valencia Real Estate Summit 2026, a property investment congress, was being held there. The organisers, PropHero, said all three ticket categories had sold out and that more than 1,000 professionals and investors were expected to hear 16 speakers, including Juan Ramón Rallo, Albert Rivera, Toni Nadal and Pablo Gil.

Infobae reports that a group of protesters broke through the police cordon at the congress entrance and threw barriers, fireworks and paving stones at officers. The UIP riot unit responded with rubber bullets and smoke, then charged part of the crowd. Police sources quoted by Infobae counted nine officers injured and five people arrested, but one Infobae headline mentions only two arrests, so the confirmed figure is somewhere between two and five. El Español passed on criticism that only 14 officers were guarding the entrance. No official body has confirmed that number.

After the march, protesters set up a camp on Plaza del Ayuntamiento, right in front of City Hall. Libertad Digital counted about 15 tents on 3 October; Infobae and Valencia Plaza described around a dozen the next day. The Sindicat de Llogateres (Valencia's tenants' union) backed the camp, Infobae says, and described it as anger born of the housing crisis. The Valencia march was called by the Sindicat de Llogateres, Entrebarris, the PAH (Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca, a group for people affected by mortgage problems) and the Sindicat d'Habitatge València. Their demands: open-ended rental contracts, lower rents, a halt to evictions and the expropriation of homes held by speculative funds.

Similar marches took place across Spain on the same day. They were triggered by the Congress of Deputies rejecting two government housing decree-laws, Libertad Digital explains. In Madrid, the tenants' union put turnout at 500,000 and reported no incidents. National Police counted 3,000 marchers in Palma, and organisers in Vigo counted 5,000. The tenants' union called for a general strike over housing the following day. Infobae reported on 5 October that CCOO and UGT are negotiating a 24-hour general strike for before the 29 November 2026 general election. No date has been set yet, and early November is only a union suggestion.

What it means for you: if you rent in Valencia, the demands for open-ended contracts and lower rents put your situation at the centre of the national debate in the run-up to the 29 November election. In practice, expect protest activity around Plaza del Ayuntamiento while the camp is there, and keep an eye on the strike date, which according to Infobae is still to be confirmed by CCOO and UGT. A 24-hour general strike would affect public transport, schools and many businesses. If you have a problem with your landlord, the Sindicat de Llogateres is one of the groups that organised this march.

Weather today

Scattered showers, 21 to 27 degrees. Open-Meteo forecasts scattered showers for Valencia today, with temperatures from 21 to 27 degrees and wind up to 10 km/h, so take an umbrella.

Transport & traffic

• Red alert lifted in Castellón and Tarragona. The AEMET has lifted the red alert in the provinces of Castellón and Tarragona after a night of torrential rain in which more than 250 litres per square metre fell, according to Libertad Digital. The highest warning level is over, but heading north from Valencia, by car on the coast road or by train towards Castellón and Catalonia, still means crossing an area that has just had very heavy rain. Before you set off, check your operator's service updates and the road information from the traffic authorities.
• Castellón Airport up 16% in September. Castellón Airport handled 45,900 passengers in September, up 15.8% on September last year, La Voz de Alzira reports, and has passed 295,000 passengers so far in 2026. Castellón is still a small airport compared with Valencia's Manises, but its growth makes it a real option for anyone living in the north of the region or looking for a less crowded terminal. Compare routes and departure times there before booking your next flight home.

Local news to know

• Sagunto rearranges its council meeting. According to Valencia Extra, Sagunto's October council meeting was postponed because of the red rain alert and will now be held on Thursday 8 October at 8:30, with the 2027 budget and an agreement with ArcelorMittal on the agenda.
• Pompeii comes to Bombas Gens. Bombas Gens is hosting an immersive Pompeii experience that uses virtual reality, 360-degree projections and archaeology to show life in the city 2,000 years ago, before Vesuvius erupted, according to Valencia Extra.
• Valencian left eyes a joint Senate bid. Long-standing PSPV figures and members of Compromís from the former Botànic government, elDiario.es reports, are pushing for a joint Senate strategy, aiming to win nine of the province's 12 seats from the PP.
• 75 Rembrandt works from the British Museum. Valencia Secreta reports that 75 works by Rembrandt from the British Museum are coming to Valencia, showing a less familiar side of the Dutch master.

Things to do today

• Medieval fair in la Pobla de Vallbona. La Pobla de Vallbona holds its Gran Feria Medieval from Thursday 8 to Monday 12 October 2026, with five days of market stalls, tournaments, parades, exhibitions and historical re-enactments, Valencia Bonita says. The fair opens on Thursday with a special programme from 17:00, and from Friday to Monday activities start at 11:00.