Spain: Clashes Erupt Again As Madrid Cops Squelch Austerity Protest
By RT
Sporadic clashes have broken out in central Madrid, with twelve people reportedly injured after riot police moved in to clear the Plaza de Neptune, threatening to arrest those who would not leave.
The demo turned violent when police encircled about 300 protesters who refused to leave the square. The demonstrators chanted slogans, while some threw projectiles at police vehicles.
Twelve people have reportedly been injured as Madrid’s police split up the crowd, giving protesters the choice to either leave or face arrest. Two people have been arrested, El Pais reported.
A group of roughly 100 protesters tried to organize a sit-it, but left without incident, with police not trying to detain any of them.
The organizers of the protest have reportedly agreed to hold a meeting on Sunday to decide on the future actions of the movement.
In Spain, demonstrators spoke out against government spending cuts, tax hikes, and the nation’s alarmingly high unemployment rate.
The protest was centered near the Spanish Parliament building in the city’s downtown district.
Eager to make known their disapproval of the current administration, the crowd let off loud whistles near Parliament and yelled, “Fire them, fire them!”, referring to Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s government.
Authorities were bracing themselves for the march, after similar demonstrations last week led to violence and arrests.
On Friday, Rajoy’s government presented a 2013 draft budget that will cut overall spending by 40 billion euro, freezing public employees’ salaries, cutting unemployment benefits and reducing spending for Spain’s royal family.
The Rajoy administration says the country’s austerity program will continue into next year, along with the economic recession.
More than one in every two Spaniards under the age of 24 is currently jobless, while the national unemployment rate has reached nearly 25 per cent when considering all working age groups.
Spain’s recession worsened this year, after austerity measures designed to help the country’s crippled economy hampered consumer spending.
The country’s GDP also fell 0.4 per cent from the previous quarter, according to the Madrid-based National Statistics Institute.
And the situation is unlikely to get better anytime soon – Spain’s economy is expected to shrink between two and three per cent over the next two years.
Many worry that the country will become the fourth Eurozone state to seek a full bailout – something Prime Minister Rajoy says will not happen.
However, many experts say it’s only a matter of time before the country requests one.
Madrid has already asked for help with its banks. Eurozone finance ministers have agreed to lend the country 100 billion euros to help its financial sector.
Tens of thousands rally on the streets of Lisbon
In Portugal, demonstrators took to the streets to protest against the country’s 78-billion euro bailout ahead of the announcement of the government’s 2013 draft budget, which will include new tax hikes and cuts to social programs.
The protest, which was organized by Portugal’s biggest union, came after the center-right government announced a hike in social security taxes – inciting widespread anger.
Demonstrators marched through Lisbon shouting, “Let the fight continue,” and carried banners reading “Go to hell Troika, we want our lives back.”
Portugal is currently facing its worst recession since the 1970s, with an unemployment rate of over 15 per cent.
I use the term “fictitious capital” to describe what the Big Bankers, public and private, are attempting to inflict on the ordinary 99% people who through their entrepreneur led labour create ALL REAL value, capital included.
In the middle of the 19th century Karl Marx coined this term to describe the notes and loans that governments and gentry used to finance wars, luxuries, estates and otherwise living beyond their REAL means.
At that time such paper would accrue during “Boom” times as the economy expanded and would usually max out at around 10-12% of a countries GDP. As long as the good times rolled on it was not a problem, but came a crisis of over production (of all the wrong things) there would be the day of reckoning. Ergo, the bill collectors came and cash not paper promises was the order of the day. This resulted in a variety of ways to settle, some were paid in part or in full but more often bankruptcies and swindles resulted. Then the stage was set for the next cycle – boom bust.
Today though the situation with ‘fictitious’ or ‘counterfeit capital is vastly different.
100 years of pumped up growth for growths sake first based on the now discredited ideas of John Maynard Keynes has produced a situation where some 20 times the worlds gross product exists as fictitious capital, a counterfeit collection of deficits, bills, bonds, exchanges, derivatives, swaps and the latest fraud, “quantitive easing”. (Le Monde Diplomatique puts it at 50 times)
Every day we read of new Central and Private bank meetings, “Increasing capital base” is their current fad.
OFF THE WALL! There is not a farthing of REAL capital in all of this ratbag of lies, swindles and manipulations.
REAL capital is ONLY accumulated labour dedicated to enhancing future production. Ergo entrepreneur led LABOUR (of the 99%) is the only source that can augment existing capital or create new.
The banksters, led by the IMF, USA FED, and British “financial services” are well aware of this fact but that will not stop them from attempting to download this fraud onto the REAL product of Labour in the form of “bailouts” of “sovereign” debts, to be serviced by taxes on the REAL producers.
The 99% will be robbed of (much prepaid) social services and benefits to sevice “debts”. Austerity it is called when those who had NO hand in running up this fraud are required to pay interest that will amount to 40-60% of the future product of their labour. Gone will be pensions, good schools, decent medical care, infrastructure (e.g. utilities that work reliably); even adequate diets will be history.
“Let them eat cake!” exclaimed La Royale Marie Antoinette.
Let them eat garbage, implies La Grande Dame Christine LaGarde, of the International Monetary Fascists(IMF)
So Greece, you are the front line today, Italy and Spain may be next, but do not think that any country, including the relatively well off Germany or the resource rich Canada and Australia will be forever exempt. Ms Merkel, beware!
The “poor little ones” are but appetisers who will whet the appetites of these financial service vultures and jackals. For certain if they succeed in the beginning the taste of financial carrion will make them hunger for more, and they will finish only when the 99% of humanity is subject as debtors to enslavement by the 1%.
But his does not have to be! Greece you can repudiate the fraud! Lead the way! DEFAULT is the way to go!
99% be inclusive! Support Greece today, Italy Spain, …, &c. tomorrow and…; the world in future.
Hold on to your souls! Hang tough!
You have a WORLD to WIN!!