Amnesty International

Unions say around four million workers joined Spain's first general strike since 2012 on Wednesday, with more than 3 million per later union figures. Police arrested 115 people during the walkout, which was led by UGT and CCOO and tenants' groups. Protests in Barcelona and Madrid involved clashes, roadblocks and burning furniture, while schools and public transport were halted. The action, triggered by an 87-year-old tenant's eviction, is set to run three weeks ahead of a snap general election on 29 Nov.

Tens of thousands marched through Amsterdam on Sunday 8 Nov in the Red Line protest, pressing the Dutch government for tighter trade sanctions on Israel, a halt to arms sales and an official genocide finding over Gaza. Amnesty International Netherlands put attendance above 200,000, while police described the march as largely peaceful. Streets around the Van Gogh Museum were closed to traffic. Prime Minister Rob Jetten, who attended an earlier Red Line march, did not join this one. Israel rejects the genocide accusation and has revoked Dutch diplomats' accreditation.

Britain's Supreme Court opened a two-day hearing on Wednesday, 4 Nov, into a challenge by Palestine Action to its proscription as a terrorist organisation. The group, founded in 2020, was banned in July 2025 after attacks on defence firms, including a 2024 raid on Elbit Systems that caused about £1 million in damage. Campaigners and police report more than 4,000 arrests since the ban; police detained several protesters outside the court, and 325 people were arrested outside the US embassy in London on 31 Oct. Co-founder Huda Ammori argues the ban criminalises legitimate protest.

An Egyptian court in Cairo has convicted Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the independent outlet Mada Masr, of running an unlicensed website. The New Cairo Misdemeanour Court ordered the outlet closed and its equipment seized, and imposed a fine of 3 million Egyptian pounds, about $53,400. Attalah was taken into custody after the verdict and released later on Tuesday once the fine was paid, according to her lawyer. Mada Masr plans to appeal, and a retrial hearing is set for 11 Nov. Reporters Without Borders ranks Egypt 169th of 180 countries for press freedom.