It's Austerity For People And Cuts By Bankers: Protests In Portugal And Spain
By Countercurrents.org
16 September, 2012
Coutercurrents.org
People in Portugal and Spain are protesting cuts, part of austerity measure the bankers responsible for crisis in these debt-ridden countries are imposing. The protesting people shouted anti-government slogans and waved banners that read "Enough!" and "They are sinking the country!"
On September 15, 2012, media including The Wall Street Journal , BBC and Typically Spanish carried news of protests with headlines “Spaniards, Portuguese Protest Cuts” ( http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444517304577653701048170874.html ), “Spain and Portugal see big anti-austerity rallies” ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19611375 ), “Large demonstration in Madrid against the Government's policies” ( http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_35741.shtml ) respectively. The reports said:
Tens of thousands of people marched in debt-hit Spain and Portugal on Sept. 15, 2012 to protest sharp cuts in public spending and tax rises. TV stations estimated 50,000 marchers in Lisbon . The Madrid Government says there was between 50,000 and 65,000 protestors.
Protesters in Madrid directed their anger not only at prime minister Rajoy's government but also at German chancellor Angela Merkel, the euro-zone paymaster, whose ministers have insisted on more-stringent cutbacks in Spain . A large banner depicted Merkel manipulating a marionette named Rajoy, guiding a large pair of scissors in his hand to cut up sheets of paper labeled "health" and "education" and "workers' rights."
In Madrid , public sector workers from all over Spain blocked the capital's Plaza de Colon square and nearby roads. Protests were held in Lisbon and across Portugal , with one person reportedly attempting to set himself on fire.
Demonstrators converged in Madrid after the Spanish finance minister Guindos announced that new measures would be announced Sept. 27. He gave no details but said the measures would reflect recommendations of Spain 's euro-zone partners. An announcement said: Employees will pay sharply higher social security contributions from next year, even as employers' contributions are cut.
The marches in Portugal , in more than 40 cities, were by far the largest in a country that had calmly endured more than a year of belt-tightening — until a new round of austerity was announced this week. "We don't care about the troika!" they chanted. "We want our lives."
The Madrid protesters included firefighters in red helmets, nurses and health care workers in white, teachers in matching green and parents pushing strollers. Trade unions and workers' rights groups organized the rally. The protesters beat drums, blew whistles and waved banners while marching from 10 Madrid gathering points to the Plaza Colon.
Big rallies were mostly incident-free in Lisbon and Porto . However, in Lisbon , protesters clashed with riot police outside the parliament building and tomatoes were thrown at offices of the IMF. In the town of Aveiro , one demonstrator was taken to hospital after trying to set himself alight in protest against government policies.
In Spain , the rally was organized by two main labor federations and about 150 smaller groups. It came four days after more than a million people in the Catalonia region rallied in the streets of Barcelona , demanding fiscal and political independence.
People's voice
"There is no area of my work which has not been affected by the cuts," said Jorge, 52, a doctor from Valencia . "It's a drastic reduction in the quality of service for patients, it's terrible," he said, adding that his own salary had shrunk by about 30% because of the austerity measures.
"We cannot and will not accept more cuts," said Angel Arriero, 39, an information engineer at a ministry, marching in late-summer heat with his wife and young daughter. He said his pay had dwindled by more 10% since Spain 's economy was plunged into crisis four years ago. "It's all too much for me to handle," he said, holding a sign that read "No mas!"—No more.
"We're here to serve notice that we're not sheep," said Ana Fernandez, 51, a Madrid postal worker who said her €833 (about $1,100) monthly salary has been frozen for three years and fears cuts in her €600 monthly widow's pension. "We're human beings. They have to listen to us."
Javier Rey, 54 years old, and his co-workers at General Dynamics left their homes in Spain 's Galicia region at 1 a.m. for an eight-hour drive to Madrid to take part in the protest march. He said he feared layoffs at the American company's munitions factory in Spain if the government followed through on plans to cut back defense spending. "We didn't come here to cause a ruckus," Mr. Rey said. "We just want to tell the government how we feel."
"They are stealing from the people who already have nothing to give more money to big corporations," said Joana Martins, a 42-year-old secretary who was protesting in Lisbon .
The background
In Portugal , marchers railed against measures due to take effect next year, including wage cuts for public employees and tax increases – and against the troika – the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank and the European Union, the three institutions overseeing Portugal 's austerity plan. The main focus of anger is a plan to lower pension-contribution requirements for companies by obliging workers to contribute more. The government said the change would encourage companies to hire, holding down Portugal 's 15% unemployment rate and making the country more competitive. The measures have also drawn opposition from members of prime minister Coelho's Social Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Democratic and Social Center . They have urged the government to make more spending cuts, saying further tax hikes will strangle the economy.
In July, the Spain government announced a 65bn-euro ($80bn) package of public sector wage cuts and tax rises - part of a deal with eurozone leaders to help rescue its troubled banks. Madrid has also accepted a loan of up to 100bn euro loan for the country's banks. Spaniards are already reeling from a July round of measures that eliminated Christmas bonus pay for public employees, lowered unemployment benefits and raised sales taxes, bringing new pain to wage earners hit by public-sector pay reductions two years ago.
The government of prime minister Rajoy insists that the cuts are necessary to save the eurozone's fourth largest economy. "These sacrifices are absolutely unavoidable if we are to correct the difficult economic climate we are experiencing," the Spanish finance minister Guindos said. "We are laying the foundations for a recovery," he added. "The government is aware of the sacrifices it is asking of Spanish society," Guindos told reporters.
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