As many as 6,000 demonstrated Tuesday in Madrid’s Neptune Plaza in an attempt to pressure the government over austerity measures.
The protests, called “Occupy Congress,” turned into clashes with police as the demonstrators attempted to break down barriers into the Spanish Parliament in Madrid, according to AFP. Riot police then beat the demonstrators with batons to prevent them from approaching the building, but according to CNN, such incidents were localized, not widespread.
Some demonstrators threw rocks and bottles at police, the network said.
“We have lost our freedom, our welfare system with the cuts to health and education,” 53-year-old shopkeeper and protester Soledad Nunes, complained to AFP. “I have two daughters and this year I had to pay a lot more for their studies.”
On Tuesday, protesters did not only accuse the ruling government of dragging their feet in solving the crisis, but also criticized the opposition, according to CNN, citing local media.
A 27-year-old unemployed computer programmer, Aitor Llorens, told AFP that protests should be bigger. There “should be 100 times more people here,” but now people “feel they can do nothing, that it does not matter which party is in power.”
Spain has been mired in an economic crisis, as unemployment has hovered around 25 percent, with that figure being much higher for younger workers.
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