Valencia, Spain – Two short handheld videos filmed by X user Ignaci(o²)liver capture the huge turnout at the central demonstration in Plaça de Sant Agustí on the first day of the indefinite educational strike on May 11, 2026.

Thousands of teachers, students, parents, and education workers filled the square and surrounding streets in a massive sea of people. Many participants wore matching t-shirts while carrying banners, Valencian flags, and signs calling for “public, quality education in Valencian.”

The footage pans across the tightly packed crowd as demonstrators march and chant through the historic plaza under bright sunshine. The videos show the scale of the mobilization from several angles as the protest stretches across the area.

The clips were posted with the caption: “The first day of the indefinite educational strike is a success in Valencia. The entire educational community has come out to demonstrate for public, quality education in Valencian.”

The demonstration marked the opening protest of the strike organized by the main unions — STEPV, CCOO, UGT, and CSIF — after months of unsuccessful negotiations with the Conselleria d’Educació.

The Valencia march was one of several demonstrations held across the region, including in Alicante, Castelló, and Elx.

Teachers are demanding salary updates, lower student-teacher ratios, less bureaucracy, improved school infrastructure and climatization, more staffing, and full respect for education in Valencian.

Unions reported participation between 85 and 95 percent on the first day, while the regional government estimated participation at around 47 to 50 percent by mid-afternoon, with the highest levels recorded in the province of Valencia at 49 to 51 percent.

The strike impacts about 78,000 teachers and more than half a million students and is the first indefinite teachers strike in the Valencian Community in decades.

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