Tens of thousands marched again in Madrid today in support of the miners' struggle, while right wing president Rajoy announced 65 billion euro worth of cuts. A brutal police charge left 76 people injured.
After last night's welcome rally, this morning some 100,000, many of them from the mining regions, demonstrated their support for the demands of Spanish coal miners. The huge demonstration was opened by the few hundred miners who had march for 18 days and arrived in Madrid yesterday. The mood was again extremely militant but also confident. A miner was quoted as saying: "after last night's demo and today's show of strength if the minister Soria doesn't change, then we will have to either change our methods or change the minister".
Under enormous pressure from last night's demonstration and the all-encompassing cuts announced by Rajoy today, the leaders of the CCCO and UGT unions, Toxo and Mendez, have announced a "general mobilisation" for the week of July 21, and hinted at the possibility of a general strike in teh Autumn.
This video gives a general overview of the demonstration:
While this focuses on the miners' columns at the front:
As the demonstration arrived at the Ministry of Industry anti-riot police charged against the demonstrators, firing rubber ball and tear gas. No-one was spared, men, women and children, young and old, they were all to be counted amongst the 76 who were injured.
Here's a video of some of the police charges:
and this one shows them in graphic detail:
At the end of the miners' demonstration, hundreds of people went to the Congress building where the new austerity package was being announced. There they were joined by a spontaneous demonstration of civil servants, finally forcing Rajoy to exit through the back door.
Further demonstrations are planned this evening in most major cities, in support of the miners' struggle and against repression.