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Protests over European Austerity Measures
Worldpress.org
Reports from E.U. countries furious over government cuts.
October 3, 2010
German demonstrators clash with police in protests over austerity measures on Sept. 21.
Belgium – EU Observer (Sept. 30): Tens of thousands of angry workers marched through cities across Europe on Wednesday to protest against the wave of government austerity measures that have swept through the region over the past year. A procession of roughly 100,000 people snaked through the streets of Brussels, led by a group dressed in black suits and masks and calling themselves the European Union of Speculators, a pointed jibe at the bankers many blame for the current crisis. Large numbers of union members traveled to Brussels by bus for the event from as far afield as Denmark, with banks and designer stores along the route being heavily guarded, as were E.U. buildings. Belgian police reportedly arrested 218 "troublemakers."
Czech Republic – Deutche Welle (Sept. 21): Police officers, firefighters, soldiers and nurses were among tens of thousands protesting in Prague on Tuesday over government plans to slash salaries. Between 25,000 and 30,000 people from across the Czech Republic took part in the protest, according to official police figures. The demonstration, the country's biggest labor protest of the past three years, brought traffic in some parts of the city to a halt. The country's new center-right cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Petr Necas, has resolved to reduce the budget deficit from 5.3 percent of gross domestic product this year to 4.6 percent next year.
France – France24 (Sept. 8): The French cabinet meets Wednesday, a day after over a million people took part in demonstrations across France to protest against pension reforms that President Nicolas Sarkozy says he is determined to implement and are necessary. French unions threaten to continue strikes if the government doesn't respond to their demands. The strike was part of a high-stakes showdown between the country's largest labour unions and Sarkozy's administration over the government's reform proposals, among them a proposal to raise the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62 over the next eight years. The main CFDT union on Tuesday afternoon estimated that 2.5 million people had taken to the streets across France, while the government claimed the figure was nearer 1.1 million.
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Worldpress.org
Reports from E.U. countries furious over government cuts.
October 3, 2010
German demonstrators clash with police in protests over austerity measures on Sept. 21.
Belgium – EU Observer (Sept. 30): Tens of thousands of angry workers marched through cities across Europe on Wednesday to protest against the wave of government austerity measures that have swept through the region over the past year. A procession of roughly 100,000 people snaked through the streets of Brussels, led by a group dressed in black suits and masks and calling themselves the European Union of Speculators, a pointed jibe at the bankers many blame for the current crisis. Large numbers of union members traveled to Brussels by bus for the event from as far afield as Denmark, with banks and designer stores along the route being heavily guarded, as were E.U. buildings. Belgian police reportedly arrested 218 "troublemakers."
Czech Republic – Deutche Welle (Sept. 21): Police officers, firefighters, soldiers and nurses were among tens of thousands protesting in Prague on Tuesday over government plans to slash salaries. Between 25,000 and 30,000 people from across the Czech Republic took part in the protest, according to official police figures. The demonstration, the country's biggest labor protest of the past three years, brought traffic in some parts of the city to a halt. The country's new center-right cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Petr Necas, has resolved to reduce the budget deficit from 5.3 percent of gross domestic product this year to 4.6 percent next year.
France – France24 (Sept. 8): The French cabinet meets Wednesday, a day after over a million people took part in demonstrations across France to protest against pension reforms that President Nicolas Sarkozy says he is determined to implement and are necessary. French unions threaten to continue strikes if the government doesn't respond to their demands. The strike was part of a high-stakes showdown between the country's largest labour unions and Sarkozy's administration over the government's reform proposals, among them a proposal to raise the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62 over the next eight years. The main CFDT union on Tuesday afternoon estimated that 2.5 million people had taken to the streets across France, while the government claimed the figure was nearer 1.1 million.
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