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Tens
of thousands in Spain protest economic policy, corruption
Tens
of thousands of Spaniards marched through cities across the country
on Saturday to protest deep austerity, the privatization of public
services and political corruption.
23
February, 2013
Gathering
under the banner of the "Citizen Tide", students, doctors,
unionists, young families and pensioners staged rowdy but non-violent
demonstrations as a near five-year economic slump shows no sign of
recovery and mass unemployment rises.
"I'm
here to add my voice. They're cutting where they shouldn't cut;
health, education ... basic services. And the latest corruption
scandal is just the tiniest tip of a very large iceberg," said
Alberto, 51, an account administrator for a German multinational in
Madrid, who preferred not to give his surname.
Protests
in Spain have become commonplace as the conservative government
passes measures aimed at shrinking one of the euro zone's highest
budget deficits and reinventing an economy hobbled by a burst housing
bubble.
Prime
Minister Mariano Rajoy has introduced some of the deepest budget cuts
in Spain's democratic history in an attempt to convince investors the
country can weather the economic crisis without falling back on
international aid.
But,
with more than half of the country's young people out of work and
growth not expected until sometime next year, the measures have only
scratched the surface of the budget shortfall which is expected to be
more than double the target in 2014.
Meanwhile,
corruption scandals which have hit the ruling party as well as the
once-popular royal family has left many Spaniards disenchanted with
their leaders on all sides of the political spectrum.
In
Madrid, under a clear, cold winter sky, Saturday's marches convened
from four different points by early evening in Neptune Square,
between the heavily policed and barricaded parliament, the Ritz Hotel
and the stock exchange.
Carrying
placards which condemned everything from cuts in the health sector to
massive bailouts granted to Spain's banking system, crowds banged
drums and chanted, while dozens of riot police stood on the
sidelines.
The
march coincided with the anniversary of a failed coup attempt in 1981
by Civil Guard officers who stormed Parliament and held deputies
hostage until the next day
"Faragalla
Group, an Egyptian food producer, said it shut down its
factories yesterday after workers stormed the complex to demand
higher pay. The plants, located near Alexandria, halted
production after they were raided by more than 200 workers, some
of them carrying swords."
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