Millions of people protest in 80 Spanish cities (video)

Madrid - On July 19, millions took to the streets in 80 major cities throughout Spain. Union workers, 15m members, the general public and many others let their voices be heard.

In ongoing protests countrywide, the largest demonstration since the global event on October 15, 2011, happened last night and millions of people hit the streets. People involved in the protests included miners, firefighters, judges, public employees, the unemployed and even the army. The largest workers' unions, UGT and CCOO, were there along with many other professional organizations, representing the miners, medical employees, firemen, public transport workers, teachers of all levels of education, feminist and pro-gay collectives, 15m sympathizers and from old and new political groups. In a very interesting development, hundreds of national and local police marched alongside other demonstrators, as their union has decided to protest against decreased wages and cuts in bonuses. In the video, protesters are chanting the Spanish version of "The people united can never be defeated" as they demonstrate in the streets. While most demonstrations were relatively peaceful, violence erupted in Madrid close to midnight. Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd as they tried to approach the Congress building. No injuries or arrests were reported. The people are protesting the latest austerity measures, as well as the corruption and fraud of the banks, causing yet another bailout of up to 100 billion euros.

ROAR

Protest in Madrid Spain over latest budget cuts and bailout.

image:120013:0::0

The public only heard about the latest deal, which will lead to even harsher austerity measures in the coming months, because the mainstream media got hold of a document made public by the Dutch government, mentioning this agreement and its conditions. This and other documents, which were previously kept confidential, were made public yesterday, and were explained by the El Pais newspaper (Spanish language), leading to widespread criticism from various segments of the Spanish population. Depending on the source, Madrid saw from 200,000 to 800,000 protesters in the streets. Barcelona was also packed to the brim with demonstrators. Other cities with huge turn-outs included Alicante, Bilbao, Sevilla and Valencia. Protests were also seen in the Canary and Balearic Islands. The huge protests follow the announcement of the largest budget cuts in the history of Spanish democracy, which were passed by the ruling party (PP), enforcing its absolute majority and carrying out the vote alone, while other political parties left the Parliament building in protest. These cuts aim to save $80 billion in a bid to take a bite out of the budget deficit.