Europe-wide protests against austerity measures－Sorrend blog

Europe on Wednesday, there were protests against austerity measures. In many cities, including Athens, Milan, Dublin and Brussels, people protested against the planned actions of their governments. In Spain, there was a general strike in some cities, clashes between demonstrators and policemen were reported.
From Athens to Madrid to Brussels: In many European cities, people have protested on Wednesday against the planned savings actions of their governments. In Spain it was the first general strike in eight years. The walkout was the end of the traditionally close relationship between the Spanish trade unions and the socialist government of the country.

Before sunrise, protesters prevented trucks working to supply the markets in Madrid and Barcelona. They threw eggs and insults with truck drivers as strike breakers. In several Spanish cities, there were clashes between demonstrators and police. In the city staggered outside Madrid was a civil servant fired warning shots to break up a crowd outside a factory. In Barcelona, students set fire to a patrol car and blocked the streets with garbage containers. Police responded with rubber bullets, four people were arrested.

From the general strike was particularly high for the local and long distance services. About 80 percent of all trips to the Spanish high speed trains were canceled, from commuter trains ran only one in four. All domestic flights and the majority of international connections to and from Spain were called off, told Ryanair. The airline Iberia began with only 35 percent of all flights, which it hoped to operate due to the walkouts.

German holidaymakers affected by strike

The strike also had an impact on air travel to and from Germany. Thus while in Spain on Wednesday a third of all flights at Frankfurt airport. Affected were mainly to and from Madrid and Barcelona as well as flights to the holiday islands of Majorca, Gran Canaria and Tenerife. At Stuttgart airport in the morning alone fell from 12 to 24 flights, as a spokeswoman said on DAPD inquiry.

The occasion of the Spanish general strike was the austerity measures and reforms the government is fighting against the economic crisis and a record deficit. A reform of the labor market makes it easier for companies to lay off employees. Spain currently struggling with an unemployment rate of almost 20 percent, the highest in Europe.

Protests outside EU buildings in Brussels

In Brussels, however, followed a call to tens of thousands of European trade union federations to protest against austerity measures in many EU Member States. Just before the start of the first demonstration of the European Commission threatened in a package of laws with tougher penalties, governments should not be their saving efforts continued. The bill is supported by Germany.

"It is a strange time for the Commission to call for new sanctions," said the head of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), John Monk, the television news agency APTN. "That does not make the situation better, only worse." The consequences of the crisis caused by bankers and speculators had led to a sharp rise in unemployment. The danger is great that the workers would have to pay the price, "said Monk.

Protest against concrete mixer with bank bailouts

In protest against billion-dollar bank bailouts with taxpayers' money a protester blocked a cement mixer with the entrance to the Irish Parliament in Dublin. The 41-year-old driver was arrested. On the stand mixer in red capital letters, "All politicians should be fired" and "toxic bank" next to the logo of the Anglo Irish Bank. The bankruptcy bank had lent tens of billions of foreign banks to invest in Irish, British and American real estate market. It was nationalized last year and saved from collapse.

In the Greek capital, Athens, truck drivers, meanwhile, continued their ongoing continued for two weeks of protest against the planned liberalization of the haulage industry. Because of a workers' strike of the Athens metro and tram traffic was paralyzed for hours. Nationally, there were impairments in rail transportation. Greek hospital doctors put down their work for 24 hours.

In Poland, gathered despite heavy rains many workers in the capital Warsaw to protest against a plan of their government to freeze wages and raise the taxes.
Also in the Baltic state of Lithuania it ever came about protests. About 400 demonstrators gathered in the capital, Vilnius, to urge the authorities to put their savings measures. "All workers are in Europe today on the streets to express their dismay over a short-sighted policy of pay cuts to express," said the 40-year-old engineer JUSYS Vytautas, who last year lost his job.