Barcelona protest against rise in price of electricity

United under the slogan "Stop the electricity scam", hundreds of people marched through Barcelona on Saturday, protesting against rises in the price of electricity.

Consumer prices in Spain increased in October by the highest rate in 29 years as a result of soaring electricity costs, preliminary data from the National Statistics Institute show.

The institute, known by its Spanish acronym INE, said consumer prices rose 5.5% in October compared to the same month in 2020.

Despite drastic measures that have pitted the Spanish government against big electricity firms, regulatory changes so far have not contained the rising utility bills that the country's residents and companies are seeing as a result of a global wholesale energy price crunch.

INE said that apart from the cost of electricity, increases in fuel and gas prices also fueled the monthly consumer price hike.

Spain's consumer prices went up 4% in September compared to the same month in 2020.