What changes for holidaymakers and residents on Tenerife?
The 24-hour general strike of Wednesday 11 November 2026 is over. No report of police violence exists for Tenerife. Holidaymakers in the south see no change, as the reports mention no rallies there.
Three strike-related flights were cancelled at Tenerife South airport. Anyone flying in the coming days should check flight status with the airline or tour operator.
The Federación Sindical Canaria (FSC, the Canarian trade union federation) said a Canaries-only general strike could follow, depending on the response to 11 November. It named no date, so travellers need not plan around it.
Only the general election on 29 November is fixed so far. Whether rallies are planned around polling day is not known.
Where does the police violence claim come from?
The claim comes from a reader's piece by Luis Portillo Pasqual del Riquelme, dated the night of 12 November in Madrid. He describes police moving against demonstrators at about 20:30 on the Gran Vía, between Plaza de Callao and Plaza de España.
He reports shots, smoke and what he believes was mustard and tear gas. By his own account, he sheltered in a building for more than 30 minutes.
He gives no figures for injuries or arrests, and there is no police statement or hospital report. It remains a single eyewitness account, which the site clearly labels as a reader's opinion.
The text has nothing to do with Tenerife, and the island does not appear in it. The link comes only from the site's section heading.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told the Dirección General de la Policía (national police directorate) to investigate the day's incidents, including police action against demonstrators. He also told officers to stop using tear gas at demonstrations, but our research found no legal text for this.
How did the demonstration in Santa Cruz de Tenerife go?
The march set off at 17:30 from Plaza Weyler and moved along Calle del Castillo. Its head reached the Presidencia del Gobierno de Canarias (the regional government's headquarters) at about 19:00.
In the rain, the tail of the march stood at Plaza del General Gutiérrez Mellado. It passed without incident, and one other report mentions only a large police presence.
How many people came is disputed. The Delegación del Gobierno said more than 10,000, and the organisers first said about 40,000.
The Sindicato de Inquilinas (tenants' union) later gave more than 50,000, while an early count put it above 3,000. Jorge Benítez of FSC-CCOO Canarias also spoke at the closing rally.
The Sindicato de Inquilinas complains of police action it rates as violent. It did not say which incidents it means, where they happened or whether anyone was hurt.
From 05:00, more than 120 people blocked traffic at the Intercambiador de La Laguna (bus station) for 30 to 40 minutes. From 08:00, pickets moved to places such as the Cabildo (island government), Calle Castillo and the Parlamento (regional parliament).
What happened in Las Palmas and the rest of Spain?
Carlos Sosa, director of Canarias Ahora, says police attacked him on the night of 11 November at Plaza de la Feria in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. One officer pushed him and drew a baton.
Two others dragged him about 30 metres behind police vehicles despite his press pass. The newspaper reports marks on his arms.
Government delegate Anselmo Pestana plans to request a report from the Cuerpo Nacional de Policía (National Police) on Friday 13 November. How long it will take is unknown.
Across Spain, published figures show more than a hundred arrests. The Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) arrested 52 people in Barcelona, including six minors, and the Ertzaintza (Basque police) arrested 16 in the Basque Country.
The National Police and Guardia Civil recorded 47 arrests across 1,144 incidents by 23:00, 20 of them in Madrid. For Tenerife, the figures list no arrests, and no injury count either.
How many people took part in the Canaries?
The UGT union put turnout in the Canaries at 56%, against 61% nationally. CCOO spoke of about 50%.
Employers disagree. CEOE Tenerife and the business association CCE put it at about 1% in the private sector.
Storm “Charles” suspended classes on Tenerife and La Palma, and the marches on La Palma and La Gomera were cancelled. The UGT accuses the Metropolitano de Tenerife tram of recruiting replacement staff for minimum services and plans to file a complaint.