Wednesday 29 September 2010

Anger erupts across Europe


WORKERS across Europe showed their anger on Wednesday at the 'austerity' measures being imposed across the contininent by the neoliberal ruling elite.

Rioters set fire to a police car in Barcelona and another car was torched during angry demonstrations in Brussels.

The general strike in Spain, against the 'socialist' government, saw massive protests and main roads blocked with burning barricades.

Reports The Independent: "Rallies were called in 13 capital cities and millions of Spanish workers went on strike in a mass action that hobbled public transport, paralysed building work and left streets littered with uncollected rubbish.

"Some 100,000 workers, including German miners and Polish shipbuilders, brought Brussels to a standstill to protest against savage spending cuts they claimed would make workers the biggest victims of an economic crisis that they are blaming on bankers and traders in the financial markets.

"The protest came as the European Commission said it would introduce measures to force EU governments to rein in their finances and reduce deficits, or face financial penalties.

"Unions said that 10 million people joined the general strike in Spain. Many small businesses shut their doors in solidarity, flights were grounded, television stations cancelled programmes and strikers scuffled with police.

"Even the film director Pedro Almodovar suspended production on his latest project. During the morning rush hour, the streets of the Spanish capital were as empty as on a national holiday.

"In Greece, hospital doctors stopped work for 24 hours and public transport was disrupted. In Slovenia, about half of public-sector workers remained on strike for the third day against a planned wage freeze.

"In Ireland, one man blocked the entrance to the Dail, the Irish parliament, with a cement truck in a protest against the country's enormous bank bailouts. Written across the back of the lorry was: 'All politicians should be sacked'."