SPAIN: Train Drivers on Strike & more – 12th Feb 2026

Buenos días from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Spain Update from the 12th of February twenty twenty-six. A quick summary of what's going down in Spain.

On Monday, the 9th, train drivers across the country went on strike in protest of safety failures across the network that led to this year’s tragic crashes.

For a quick recap, last month, there were two accidents in quick succession: a high-speed collision in Andalucia on the 18th of January, likely caused by a fractured track, and a derailment in Catalunya two days later from a collapsing wall caused by flooding.

Criticism has only intensified, though, as subsequent safety checks uncovered additional faults and maintenance concerns on multiple routes. President Pedro Sánchez has also faced parliamentary questioning as unions have called the crashes a turning point for railway safety.

Keeping with the rail incidents, on Wednesday the 11th, Sánchez responded to criticism from opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, president of the Partido Popular (PP), over the deadly Adamuz train accident, which claimed forty-six lives last month. The opposition described the accident as avoidable and blamed government negligence.

Sánchez defended the government’s records, saying they carried out detailed technical checks to make sure everything was built and measured within safe and acceptable limits. He also stressed that the country’s railway system is one of the best. Sánchez accused Feijóo of spreading false claims, including warnings from eight institutions that never occurred, and of scaring citizens for political gain.

Next, another week and another storm. Between the 7th and 8th of February, Storm Marta, which hit both Spain and Portugal, brought substantial rain, strong winds, and snow, causing around 11,000 people to be evacuated and significant damage to infrastructure. This is the seventh major storm in just forty days.

During a visit to storm-hit Huétor Tájar in Granada, Andalucia, southern Spain, Sánchez called for a broad national agreement to address what he described as a new climate reality.

He urged political leaders and institutions to unite in both diagnosing the causes and anticipating responses to increasingly destructive weather. Sánchez said the government would activate mechanisms to assess damage and support recovery and reconstruction once the storms subside, particularly for affected farmers and irrigation communities.

On Wednesday the 11th, Catalunya suspended all school, university, and sporting activities, along with non-urgent healthcare services, due to what authorities describe as the strongest wind event in twenty years.

The regional government activated its emergency VENCAT plan after forecasts predicted extreme winds with gusts exceeding 100 km/h (or sixty-two miles per hour), particularly overnight and in the morning, affecting much of the region, especially Barcelona’s metropolitan area and Tarragona.

Civil Protection rated the danger at the highest level and urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel and outdoor activities, prioritizing remote work. Barcelona closed parks, museums, and its bike-sharing service, and cancelled public events.

In government policy, on Thursday the 5th, Sira Rego, the Youth Minister, proposed potentially banning the social media platform Twitter across the whole country, intensifying Spain’s clash with big tech over digital rights and harms.

Rego said the current online space has become undemocratic and dominated by digital strongmen, arguing that Twitter has seen flagrant violations of fundamental rights, such as sexual AI-generated deepfakes that circulated on the platform.

Her comments are part of a broader debate on digital regulation, echoing wider concerns in Spain about how social platforms affect society, particularly regarding hate speech, privacy and young people’s wellbeing. This coincides with the government’s push to regulate online platforms more tightly, including plans to ban access to social media for under-16s to protect minors and hold companies legally accountable for harmful content.

Keeping with the government, on Sunday the 8th, the PP strengthened its hold on the northern region of Aragón after winning 34% of the vote in regional elections, led by acting president Jorge Azcón.

Even though the party saw a slight drop in support, it comfortably outperformed President Pedro Sánchez’s Socialists, whose candidate Pilar Alegría secured 24%. The far-right Vox party emerged with a good result too, increasing its share from 11% to 18%.

In education, on Wednesday the 11th, a major teachers’ strike in Catalunya disrupted public schools across the region. Tens of thousands of educators and staff protested for better working conditions, more resources, and smaller class sizes.

The strike mainly affected public schools, leaving many classrooms empty, while most private schools remained open. Teachers are calling for fewer students per class and more support for students with special educational needs, which they say are increasing. They also demand less bureaucracy and more support staff, arguing that current pressures harm both student learning and teacher wellbeing.

In response, the Department of Education says it will present proposals on salary updates, lower student-teacher ratios, and administrative reforms. However, officials acknowledge that financial constraints continue to pose significant challenges.

Over to the Valencian Community now, where Spain’s government is reviewing whether the town of Sagunto’s Holy Week should keep its National Tourist Interest status after a complaint about gender discrimination.

The dispute centers on the Brotherhood of the Puríssima Sang del Nostre Senyor Jesucrist, a religious association that organizes major Holy Week processions in the Valencian city and still limits membership and participation to just men. The civic group Semana Santa Inclusiva, made up of local residents advocating gender equality, argues that a festival excluding women cannot qualify as nationally representative.

Spokesperson Blanca Ribelles says the group wants to join the brotherhood with equal rights and duties, ideally through voluntary reform of its statutes. Since twenty twenty-one, activists have staged annual protests and collected signatures to trigger a March assembly to vote on admitting women.

In sports news, on Saturday, the 7th, Spain won the UEFA Futsal EURO twenty twenty-six title with a thrilling 5–3 victory over defending champions Portugal, in Ljubljana, Slovenia.​

The victory has given Spain a record eighth European title and confirmed their return to the top of international futsal.

Next, a cheese that could potentially save a community. In Galicia’s A Ulloa region in the northwest, residents and artists have created a symbolic cheese project to oppose plans by Portuguese company Altri to build a large pulp and textile fiber plant, which locals fear would damage the local ecosystem.

The initiative, Os contos do leite, or stories of milk, brings together cultural mediators, the Futurefarmers art collective, neighbours, and farmers, to celebrate the territory’s environmental and cultural value.

The project centers on a traveling wooden wheel of care carrying a cheese made from milk produced by Zebra, a local cow chosen as an emblem of resilience. As the wheel moves from village to village, residents gather to share the cheese and stories, reinforcing community bonds and raising awareness of what they see as a threatened rural way of life.

Want to know more? Link in the show notes.

And finally, love is in the air. Valentine’s Day, celebrated in Spain on the 14th of February, is widely observed with gifts, flowers, and romantic dinners.

The day is named after Saint Valentine, a figure linked by legend to secret marriages in ancient Rome. The day honors love in many forms, including friendship as well as romance.

Some regions have their own days of love. Catalunya, for example, celebrates Sant Jordi on the 23rd of April with books and roses, and Valencia marks San Dionisio on the 9th of October with marzipan sweets.

Spanish culture has also embraced Singles’ Day on the 13th of February, celebrating independence and self-love.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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¡Hasta la próxima!