The first day of an indefinite education strike in Madrid's public schools and institutes on Wednesday, 14 October, ended with a march from Atocha to Puerta del Sol behind a banner reading 'We defend public education. We defend the future.' Demonstrators demanded more resources, 600 euros more per month for staff, smaller class sizes, an end to educational segregation and less bureaucracy. The regional government put classroom participation at 44.6%, while the unions put it at 70%. The strike is backed by CC.OO., CGT, UGT and CSIF, among other organisations, and includes platforms from the Complutense and Rey Juan Carlos universities.

The day's most tense moment came at the Complutense campus, where Spanish National Police charged protesters. Five people were detained on suspicion of offences against an authority agent, one police officer suffered minor injuries and several protesters were also hurt. The university said it had neither requested nor promoted the police presence, and it asked for the detainees to be released quickly. Madrid's government delegate, Francisco Martín Aguirre, apologised to citizens for the images, called them not a justified action and ordered an urgent Police investigation. Police unions JUPOL and CEP demanded his resignation.

Reactions from universities and unions

The Conference of Rectors (CRUE) condemned the charges and asked for the events to be investigated. UGT Madrid and RUGE Madrid issued a joint statement calling the intervention a violent episode that should never have happened. RUGE's organisation and education secretary, Andrea Valín, said:

The university is a space for critical thinking and freedom, not a stage for police charges.

CCOO and UGT asked the Interior Ministry for explanations about the police response. Separately, the Sol Metro and Cercanías station reopened around 13:30 after a crowd-control operation that had closed its entrances.