Spanish general strike protesters clash with police
MADRID: One day’s general strike called in protest to the government’s labour market reforms results in clashes between Spanish police and demonstrators.In Barcelona some of the marchers smashed windows and set rubbish bins alight which was responded by Police with tear gas and baton charges.
Reports of protests were also came from capital, Madrid, and other cities.Land and air travel were badly affected by the strike cutting domestic and European flights to a fraction of normal levels.
The Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will be unveiling measures on Friday which aimed at saving tens of billions of euros which will make it easier for businesses to sack employees.The changes will also likely to cut unemployment which is peaking at 23% in the Europe.Almost half of Spain’s under 25s are unemployed.
According to Unions reports about 800,000 people joined the protest in Barcelona while Police put the number at 80,000. In Madrid, 900,000 people took part in protest marches. Though most of the protest was peaceful but some violent incident also took place.A spokesman for the regional interior ministry told the AFP news agency that,”They burned a two-storey Starbucks cafe and another shop.It is out now. In the shop there is broken glass and they took out whatever they could burn.”
“The question here is not whether the strike is honoured by many or few, but rather whether we get out of the crisis,” said Finance Minister Cristobal Montoro.”That is what is at stake, and the government is not going to yield.”
“No government has passed as many reforms in its first 100 days in office as this one,” said Spanish prime minister on Tuesday. “The biggest mistake would be to do nothing,” He added.
