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| Spain austerity: Thousands join new budget cuts protest | Spain austerity: Thousands join new budget cuts protest |
| (1 day later) | |
| Thousands of people have joined fresh protests in the Spanish capital, Madrid, angered by budget cuts and calling on the government to quit. | Thousands of people have joined fresh protests in the Spanish capital, Madrid, angered by budget cuts and calling on the government to quit. |
| Demonstrators held a minute's silence with their backs to parliament, then shouted "resign" with fists clenched. | Demonstrators held a minute's silence with their backs to parliament, then shouted "resign" with fists clenched. |
| Parliament was guarded by hundreds of police officers. | Parliament was guarded by hundreds of police officers. |
| PM Mariano Rajoy's government plans spending cuts of about 40bn (£32bn) euros for next year as it tries to prevent the need for an EU bailout. | PM Mariano Rajoy's government plans spending cuts of about 40bn (£32bn) euros for next year as it tries to prevent the need for an EU bailout. |
| The Spanish government has found itself in financial difficulty since the 2008 global financial crisis caused a big crash in the country's over-heated property market. | The Spanish government has found itself in financial difficulty since the 2008 global financial crisis caused a big crash in the country's over-heated property market. |
| New figures this week showed about a quarter of working-age people in Spain were now unemployed. | New figures this week showed about a quarter of working-age people in Spain were now unemployed. |
| 'Taking everything' | 'Taking everything' |
| Saturday's protesters came from all over the country and were met by vans of riot police, says the BBC's Pascale Harter in Spain. | Saturday's protesters came from all over the country and were met by vans of riot police, says the BBC's Pascale Harter in Spain. |
| Just hours earlier, she says, 300 police had staged their own protest in the capital, setting off fire crackers and blowing police whistles over the same issue - budget cuts. | Just hours earlier, she says, 300 police had staged their own protest in the capital, setting off fire crackers and blowing police whistles over the same issue - budget cuts. |
| One banner read: "The police can't take it any more." | One banner read: "The police can't take it any more." |
| Austerity protests also took place in Barcelona, Valencia and other cities. | Austerity protests also took place in Barcelona, Valencia and other cities. |
| One protester in Madrid, Sabine Alberdi, told Agence France-Presse: "I came to demonstrate because they're taking everything away, our health, our education, our houses." | One protester in Madrid, Sabine Alberdi, told Agence France-Presse: "I came to demonstrate because they're taking everything away, our health, our education, our houses." |
| Mr Rajoy's programme will require spending cuts of 150bn euros between 2012 and 2014. | Mr Rajoy's programme will require spending cuts of 150bn euros between 2012 and 2014. |
| Having spent almost a year in office, Mr Rajoy has tried to head off a full-blown EU bailout by introducing tax increases, labour reforms and public sector cuts. | Having spent almost a year in office, Mr Rajoy has tried to head off a full-blown EU bailout by introducing tax increases, labour reforms and public sector cuts. |
| However, output has now contracted for five quarters in a row. | However, output has now contracted for five quarters in a row. |