National Strike Disrupts Transport; 29 Arrested

Pickets clashed with police, Madrid’s subway ran with fewer cars, and hundreds of flights were canceled at the capital’s airport as unions staged Spain’s first general strike in eight years.

The unions are protesting cuts in unemployment benefits. Their nationwide protest is aimed at embarrassing conservative Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar as he prepares to host a European Union summit today in Seville.

Police arrested 29 demonstrators, in some cases as they tried to keep people from reporting to work. The Interior Ministry said the police intervened because the union members were trying to block a major thoroughfare.