Enormous anti-austerity rallies shake crisis-stricken Portugal, with organizers estimating an attendance of at least 130,000 in Lisbon and 50,000 in Porto.
Pictures via Portugal Uncut
The Associated Press reports:
LISBON — Tens of thousands of people rallied in Portugal Saturday against the government’s austerity measures, protest organisers said, amid projections that the economic situation was far worse than expected.
Government and private sector workers demonstrated in Lisbon and Porto, following a call by the country’s largest trade union federation to speak out against policies it says threaten “jobs, workers, pensions and social rights.”
Rally organisers claimed 130,000 people demonstrated in Lisbon and 50,000 turned out in Porto. Portugal’s police did not provide an estimate of the crowd, but local media’s tallies said the figures were inflated.
“It is time to change course,” said Manuel Carvalho da Silva, secretary general of the organising CGTP union federation, during a rally closing speech.
“We need a political alternative,” he said, and called for a “week of action” against “impoverishment and injustice”, the watchwords of Saturday’s protest.
He further called for a slew of strikes on October 20 and 27.
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A huje motion is under way, growing momentum globally, and it shouts out: – WE ARE ALL ONE undivisible human spirit, waking up from a long, long sleep to remember that WE ARE FREEDOM, WE ARE PEACE, WE ARE LOVE!! And the slavery of ages falls to the ground, UNDER THE SUN.
Do you mean to moderate the truth?
Gracias por vuestro transparente trabajo. Los medios de comunicación españoles no cuentan nada de nuestros vecinos, pretenden silenciar un despertar global. Muchos ánimos Portugal! To global problems, global solutions.
It is a wonderful expression of our angst against the great injustice of our times. It is time the governments and corporations get the message and work for people.
Unfortunately, the debt is so far blown out that the promises cannot be kept — much less than half … maybe down to 10-20%. And yes bailouts with interest attached just make it worse later on and also cannot be paid either. So a cut in all benefits has to come. The only real option now is to be more self reliant — more cottage industries and home grown food — if the gov wants to do anything then assisting the conversion of idle/underlised land and or buildings could assist people to feed and help provide for themselves.
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