40,000 in Barcelona protest for equality to mark Women's Day, according to local police

Thousands of people took to the streets across Catalonia to mark  International Women's Day on Wednesday evening.

The protest in Barcelona was the biggest in the country, with 40,000 attendees, according to local police Guàrdia Urbana figures, released at 8pm, and 100,000, according to organizers.

The atmosphere was festive throughout the march that took place in the Catalan capital, between Plaça Universitat and Arc de Triomf, in the city center.

The crowds gathered under the slogan 'Women move the world, now we'll stop it!'. 

Along the route of the march there were stands on the side of the street with signs highlighting various themes, such as trans rights, anti-eviction and anti-racism. 

A group of protesters also protested with fire torches in central Barcelona during the mass demonstration.

Talking to Catalan News, one protester, Marta, said that "a woman always has to show double the skills of a man".

"Our attitudes are always put into question at the beginning. We have to fight much more than a man," she said.

Another rally-goer, Daniela, a law student from Peru, said it was her first time in such a demonstration because in her country it is "dangerous."

"As a Latina, [sexism] affects me every day. Back home, I couldn't go out and walk a few streets without anyone following me, it was very scary," she added.

1,500 in Lleida and Girona

The mass protest in the capital was not the only one of the evening.

For instance, in Girona, 1,500 people took to the streets in two simultaneous events, with the anticapitalist one being the most popular. "No is no, and otherwise it is rape" was one of the chants, and posters reading 'You are not alone' were also seen.

In Lleida, also around 1,500 people, mostly women, marched throughout the western city's streets in two separate demonstrations that went by in a festive and peaceful atmosphere.

In Tarragona, some 500 people also rallied, after another protest in the morning gathering 2,000.

Day of protests and strikes  

There were protests and strikes throughout the day, beginning at rush hour when demonstrators blocked two of the main routes into the center of Barcelona – Meridiana Avenue and Diagonal Avenue. 

Traffic jams formed on several highways surrounding the Catalan capital, including five kilometers of queues on the C-33 from Montcada i Reixac, seven kilometers on the C-58 from Ripollet and 12 kilometers on the B-23 from Molins de Rei. 

Up to 4,000 university and high school pupils marched through the streets of Barcelona from noon, calling for a 'feminist' education system and saying the current one was no more than a "cog" in the capitalist and patriarchal machine. 

During the protest, which took place in a festive atmosphere, chants such as 'the streets will be feminist', 'no to privatization' and 'If you touch one of us, you touch us all' were heard. 

According to the labor ministry, the strike was observed by 9% of Barcelona metro staff and by 3.39% in public sector schools. 

There was less impact on other forms of transport such as TMB buses (1%) and FGC trains (0.37%). 

The strike action called on Wednesday did not have the support of the biggest unions in Catalonia, the CCOO and UGT. 

A source from the Autonomous University of Barcelona confirmed that a majority of their students had gone on strike, with picket lines blocking access to the campus.