Tens of thousands of Spaniards and Portuguese rallied in the streets of their countries’ capitals Saturday to protest enduring deep economic pain from austerity measure, and the demonstration in Madrid turned violent after Spaniards enraged over a long-lasting recession and skyhigh unemployment clashed with riot police for the third time in less than a week near the parliament.
The latest violence came after thousands of Spaniards who had marched close to the parliament building in downtown Madrid protested peacefully for hours. Police with batons later moved in just before midnight to clear out those who remained late because no permission had been obtained from authorities to hold thedemonstration.
Some protesters responded by throwing bottles and rocks. An Associated Press photographer saw police severely beat one protester.
Spain’s state TV said earlytoday that two people were hurt and 12 detained near the barricades erected in downtown Madrid to shield the parliament building. Television images showed police charging at protesters and hitting themwith their batons, but the violence did not appear as severe as a protest on Tuesday when 38 people were arrested and 64 injured.
Earlier, the boisterous crowds let off ear-splittingwhistles and yelled “Fire them, fire them!” - referring to the conservative government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, and venting their anger against tax increases, government spending cuts and thehighest unemployment rate among the 17 nations that use the euro currency.
On Friday, Rajoy’s administration presented a 2013 draft budget that will cut overall spending by $51.7 billion, freezing the salaries of public workers, cutting spending for unemployment benefits and even reducing spending for Spain’s royal family next year by 4 percent.
Pablo Rodriguez, a 24-yearold student doing a master’s in agricultural development in Denmark, said the austerity measures and bad economy mean most of his friends in Spain are unemployed or doing work they didn’t train for.He plans to work abroad after graduating and doubts he will put his education to use in Spain until he is at least 35 or 40, if ever.
“I would love to work here, but there is nothing for me here,” Rodriguez said. “By the time the economy improves it will be too late. ...”
Madrid authorities put the number of protesters at 4,500 - though demonstratorssaid the crowd was larger. In neighboring Portugal, tens of thousands took to the streets of Lisbon Saturday afternoon to peacefully protest against even deeper austerity cutbacks than Spain has imposed.
Retired banker Antonio Trinidade said the budget cuts Portugal is locked into in return for the nation’s $101 billion bailout are making the country’s economy the worst he has seen in his lifetime. His pension has been cut, and he said countless young Portuguese are increasingly heading abroad because they can’t make a living at home.
“The government and the troika controlling what we do because of the bailout just want to cut more and more and rob from us,” Trinidade said, referring to the troika of creditors -the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Information for this article was contributed by Andres Kudacki and Yesica Fisch of The Associated Press.
Front Section, Pages 10 on 09/30/2012