Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

PROTESTS

MAP: Where are farmers blocking roads in Spain on Thursday?

Thursday February 8th marks the third day of Spanish farmers' protests, with the main farming associations set to join the road blockades for the first time. Here's where to expect traffic holdups and roadblocks in Spain today.

Published: 8 February 2024 10:16 CET
MAP: Where are farmers blocking roads in Spain on Thursday?
Tractors are parked on the highway during a protest near Parets del Valles, around 20 km north of Barcelona, on February 7, 2024. (Photo by Pau Barrena / AFP)

UPDATE: Where are farmers blocking roads in Spain on Friday February 9th?

The third day of the farmers’ protest in Spain kicked off early on Thursday, and so far the so-called tractorada movement appears to have lost some steam with fewer major roads affected.

However, we’re still waiting to see the muscle exhibited by the top agricultural organisations Asaja, COAG and UPA, which so far haven’t taken part in the protests but will do from today. 

They are set to take to the streets this Thursday in Ciudad Real, Huesca, Ávila and Salamanca.

Barcelona was the focus of the second day of farmers protests as hundreds of tractors drove slowly into the Catalan capital from every corner of the region, blocking traffic and the main accesses into the city. 

On Thursday morning, they continued to gather in the city centre, blockading Barcelona’s Gran Vía and Diagonal avenues with their tractors. Nevertheless, the latest reports suggest they are now leaving. 

The following map gives you a better idea of the farmers’ roadblocks taking place across Spain on Thursday February 8th:

So far, at 10am on Thursday February 8th, the following farmers’ protests are taking place or scheduled to happen throughout the day:

  • Traffic holdups in Valencia and Castellón, the main blockades are causing five kilometres of  traffic jams on the A-7 around Loringilla (Valencia) and on the CV-15 around Vall d’Alba (Castellón). The A-3 around San Antonio is also blocked by tractors.
  • Seville farmers are blocking the A-92 in Paradas and the A-451 in El Saucejo on their third day of protests.
  • In Navarre farmers have cut off access to Pamplona on the A-12 near Villatuerta.
  • In Cuenca the A-3 has been blockaded by a tractorada around Minglanilla.
  • Access to Salamanca via all motorways is scheduled to be cut throughout the day.
  • In Jaén the A-41 has been blockaded in both directions around Huelma.
  • In Soria the N-234 and the N-122 are both inaccessible.
  • In Almería the A-7 motorway is blockaded around km 814.
  • In Albacete the A-31 is completely blocked in both directions.
  • In Cáceres (Extremadura) the EX-A1 is blocked in both directions.
  • In Zaragoza the A-2 motorway has been totally blocked around Alto de la Muela in both directions (Madrid and Barcelona). The A-68 around Mallen is also blockaded.
  • In Huesca the A-23 is currently no usable.
  • Ciudad Real police are recommending that nobody uses their vehicles as major blockades in the city and surrounding motorways are expected.
  • In Burgos, the AP-1 around Rubena has been blocked in both directions.

For live updates, this map by the DGT will also help. The icons showing people are where the protests are happening.

READ ALSO:

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

PROTESTS

Thousands rally in Madrid to defend public healthcare

Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Madrid on Sunday in defence of the local public health system, accusing the right-wing regional government of trying to destroy it with spending cuts.

Published: 19 May 2024 17:04 CEST
Thousands rally in Madrid to defend public healthcare

On a sunny afternoon, huge crowds turned out at four points across the capital and marched on city hall in a mass protest under the slogan: “Madrid rallies in support of public healthcare and against the plan to destroy primary care services.”

Some 18,000 people took part in the demonstration, the government said, while organisers put the turnout at about 200,000.

Demonstrators filled the central Plaza Cibeles area, chanting and waving flags. Many carried homemade signs with messages such as, “The right to health is a human right. Defend the health service.”

One demonstrator sported a huge model of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the right-wing leader of the Madrid regional government and a fierce critic of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government, with a Pinocchio-like nose attached.

“We are once again defending our public health as the heart of our welfare state and of our society. What is being defended here today is democracy and the health of our citizens,” Health Minister Monica Garcia, a former hospital anaesthesiologist, told reporters.

READ ALSO: Spain’s plan to stop the privatisation of public healthcare

Unions and left-wing parties complain about long waiting lists and a shortage of staff in health centres, forcing patients to overwhelm hospital emergency departments.

Diaz Ayuso’s opponents say her administration spends the least amount per capita on primary health care of any Spanish region even though it has the highest per capita income.

Many government critics believe the conservatives are dismantling the system. Madrid’s regional government denies the accusation.

Spain has a hybrid healthcare system but the public sector is larger than the private one and is considered a basic pillar of the state.

The governments of the regional autonomous communities are responsible for a major part of the health budget as part of Spain’s devolved political system.

SHOW COMMENTS