European workers stage austerity protests

European workers stage austerity protests

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Workers across the European Union are staging a series of protests and strikes against rising unemployment and austerity measures.

General strikes in Spain and Portugal halted transport, businesses and schools and led to clashes between police and protesters in Madrid.

Smaller strikes were reported in Greece, Italy and Belgium, and rallies were planned in other countries.

Hundreds of flights have been cancelled in Spain and Portugal.

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There is a multi-nation protest in Europe just beginning that has the potential to put a serious dent in business as usual, at least for the moment. As of this writing I'm hearing rumors of mass action in sixteen different nations. Disruption of air, transport, and business schedules on a serious level is a real possibility.

Personally I understand that the situation is reaching the breaking point for the man in the street in many of these countries. People need to eat and work and if society can't offer that capability, society isn't working. On the other hand, it's hard to feel sympathy for those who have borrowed beyond their means and for unsustainable public promises. Yet the banks are no better - with the ongoing bailouts and with their hands on the levers of policy, they too are welfare cases.

There are no easy answers. Here's wishing justice and safety to all ATS members in Europe. Please keep us informed.

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(visit the link for the full news article)

Best form of protest a hit to the wallet is greater than a hit from a bullet these days. Won't end well for the protesters however any stand is better than kneeling.

It will be interesting to see how big the austerity measures and their protests have to become before it's picked up in MSM (in the US, at least). My guess is this will remain very quiet until after the holidays. But the more things amp up, the more worried I feel that someone, somewhere, is going to make sure something happens on 12/21. I'm working like hell to sell my house and get out of the city before austerity measures hit the states. Philadelphia will be a blood-bath.

yeah, the union leaders sent representatives to force close businesses. They used threats of violence and vandalism.

I am sitting in my closed cafe in western Europe with a bat by my side in case the afternoon assembly makes people try their luck on store fronts. If I tried to open today they would have broken my windows. They tried to force close a large retail store down the street by harassing customers and employees. Cops had to make a human wall to protect the store.

They are thugs. They went to a music academy around the corner the other day and made an "invitation" not to assist classes today. One student asked the representative about the nature of the "invitation". He told me the guy looked like a criminal so he asked in case they planned on cracking skulls or something, and the representative said in not so many words that they would be encouraged not to in a rather threatening manner.

We are used to their tactics since last time we had a general strike they came into a small market in my area kicking garbage cans with sticks in hand screaming like lunatics to close up or else. They destroyed taxis they saw working and hospitalized several truckers and store employees that chose to democratically object to the strike. We just can't afford to lose a day of revenue.

The unions are scum. They do nothing for the "worker" they claim to protect. They just suck at the teat of public money and are in bed with politicians. They are responsible for all the discord and violence we see here in western Europe.

I hope the cops do their job...and then some. These thugs have made more enemies of people than garnered support. They fill their ranks with desperate and poor people that just want hope, no matter the guise it takes.

This is another reason why I am opposed to communism. These people are mostly reformist with communist agendas. They are the typical douche bags that spend more time reading inflammatory literature than trying to live life holding a job and paying their bills like the rest of us. They just want a free ride on the working man's back. They want the redistribution of wealth into their "sophisticated" pockets, not into the average persons pocket. For the working man they have rhetoric and hard work to pay for the party, and their hired muscle.

Scum.

Originally posted by chasingbrahman
It will be interesting to see how big the austerity measures and their protests have to become before it's picked up in MSM (in the US, at least). My guess is this will remain very quiet until after the holidays.

It is on CNN and the BBC.

I am personally affected by austerity.

However, the solution is not to dig at business who are the drivers to resolve the problem, for example damaging tourism by closing airports. I think that type of action is counterproductive and short-sighted, both these traits at typical of some of the trades unions movements and others.

In addition, austerity (like it or lump it) is just one way to sort out the financial mayhem caused by some governments short-term silliness resulting in vast debts. It is utter madness for a nation to live beyond its means and people need to understand that. People in Greece (for example) had a decade of luxury and now they have to face the music. Sad, but true.

Regards

reply to post by zedVSzardoz


That's messed up! If it was me I would be sitting out front with my AR-15, not a baseball bat, and opened my business.

Protesting people not being able to go to work, by trying to force everyone to not work? That seems totally illogical to me.

Take notes folks... This will soon come to a town near you when the the well runs dry for all of those who are living off of the US govt. For some of the more creative loafers, they are living quite well by collecting SNAP, housing subsidies, Disability, weilfare and Obamaphones. Those masters of the system will not be happy when the checks stop coming...

Something has to give in order to pay for Obamacare

No one should go to work until all austerity packages are cancelled and the masterminds of central terrorism are arrested, charged and imprissoned. All this bloating and shrinking of the economy is artificial in nature and happens with interest rate adjustments and investors choosing to invest wherever they want tarrif-free. There is no protection on national economies anymore, and it is becoming more and more evident. People cannot pay taxes unless FIRST they have steady jobs and good pay.

Screw capitalism that creates these bubbles, because it puts profit before everything else.

Originally posted by jibeho
This will soon come to a town near you when the the well runs dry for all of those who are living off of the US govt.

Yep and its not going to be long at all before that happens, because when our pocket book dries up, so does uncle sams. All hell will break loose when people are told to fend for themselves.

reply to post by EarthCitizen07

I do not believe capatilism is to blame for this and more regulations will not help. We have enough laws on the books. The problem is that they are not enforced. To much immunity for those in government including the police allows and encourages business leaders to break the law as they know so long as they pay the right person they will not be charged. Since those with immunity get to pick and choose who to prosecute whoever pays them no matter what they do is ahead of the game. This goes for burocrats who are the real power in this farce.

Originally posted by jibeho
Take notes folks... This will soon come to a town near you when the the well runs dry for all of those who are living off of the US govt. For some of the more creative loafers, they are living quite well by collecting SNAP, housing subsidies, Disability, weilfare and Obamaphones. Those masters of the system will not be happy when the checks stop coming...

Something has to give in order to pay for Obamacare

Do you know anything about economics? Anything about capitalism? Anything about fraud such as embezzling, money laundering, extortion, private central banking, usury, etc?

Instead of blaming croney capitalism and wanting justice, people like you are blaming the only fall back some people have because their jobs went offshore or because of automation. Opinions like yours are ironic, sick and agenda driven. All products of many decades of mass disinformation campaigns in america and europe.

Everything has become privatised and business is consolidating. Less staff equals less payroll expenses.

Originally posted by Jerk_Idiot
reply to post by EarthCitizen07

 

I do not believe capatilism is to blame for this and more regulations will not help. We have enough laws on the books. The problem is that they are not enforced. To much immunity for those in government including the police allows and encourages business leaders to break the law as they know so long as they pay the right person they will not be charged. Since those with immunity get to pick and choose who to prosecute whoever pays them no matter what they do is ahead of the game. This goes for burocrats who are the real power in this farce.

The people at the top are rotten. It is not about the government as so many erroneously conclude. You are correct in saying there are plenty of laws and selective enforcement. I would argue there are too many laws already.

We need PROTECTIONISM aka TARIFFS! Unions need to be strong so they can negotiate as a group rather than individuals negotiating with business directly. Business has more pool with government and gets its way. I am talking about big business and the billionares of this world doing whatever the # they want and getting away with it.

Look at the bilderbergers who meet IN SECRECY each year. Or bohemian grove. There is plenty of evidence of treasonous conspiration!!!!!!!!!!! People have EVERY RIGHT to strike, and strike by the millions they should till this negative trend of exploitation stops. Mixed-economies are much better than pure capitalist ones and better than communism.

reply to post by zedVSzardoz


The european capitalist union has been an unprecendented disaster from the beginning. Everything has skyrocketed up and labor is cheap in relation. Purchasing power has gone down dramatically, especially when we consider how expensive gasoline and gas are. Some unions have been known to be inefficient or greedy, but compared to the multinationals who do business worldwide tarriff-free, they are saints.

Some welfare programs are counter-productive or unnecessary. The state has no business giving subsidies to people who marry and have families, to women who bear children, etc. Illegal immigration has also been out of control.

Nothing is running as it should. Question authority rather than make scapegoats out of people like you who are trying to make ends meet. There are unbelievable conspiracies being played out as we speak, otherwise you are becoming the problem rather than the solution. Scapegoating is sinful! Do not fall into that trap my fellow ats'er.

reply to post by EarthCitizen07


Are you offering to pay for everyone to live while they are being forced not to work by these people? Threatening people that actually stand on their own two feet without the help of bloated unions is disgusting. Who are they to tell others when they should not earn a living......

reply to post by zedVSzardoz


In Portugal we had some incidents (trains' braking systems sabotaged, people being prevented from getting to work, etc.), but the worse ones were in front of the parliament, where many people were protesting and some (not those in front) started to throw rocks at the police, hitting some of the protesters and wounding five of them. The police made a charge and arrested the protesters that were throwing the rocks.

I wouldn't be surprised if they turn out to be the same that were inciting violence in other occasions this year.

reply to post by ArMaP


yeah I saw that on the news here. The cops stayed for two hours under a rain of cobble stones that the protestors ripped up from the side walk.

If you ask me they waited long enough. The protesters were literally walking up to them and carefully aiming at their heads with rocks, less than 8-12 feet away. Even the anchor woman on the news was like WTF?

Things are back to normal now, though last night they promised to keep at it and maybe have ANOTHER general strike. I ended up going to the assembly and recording it. I am uploading now. I guess I will post it here, even though it's in Spanish.

well here is the video I shot last night. I am still uploading one which is longer and covers the commencement when all the marches met up and they were throwing fireworks and chanting, but considering the video and sound quality, I won't put it here. These are from the end of the assembly when I managed to get a little closer to the stage. They are all a little too dark, but I only wanted to record what was being said. My voice recorder was being difficult so I just shot video instead.

They are all in Spanish and I am sorry but I won't translate. So if you don't understand Spanish, this will be almost a complete waste to you since there is not even a decent video to look at. Sorry.

Basically it is the same message as all the other protests and assemblies. The unions blame the government and do a little Obama "yes we can" thing full of rhetoric and more threats of strikes. Blah blah blah.









this one is just the regional anthem. "Asturias patria querida".