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ReutersBARCELONA, Spain, June 15 (Reuters) - ... The head of the Catalan government, Artur Mas, was flown in by police helicopter along with other politicians after up to 2,000 people blockaded the main entrance, before the parliament began debating a budget that aims to cut public spending by 10 percent.
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The start of the debate over the Catalan budget was delayed to allow politicians more time to arrive. The mainly young protesters chanted "You do not represent us!" and "Shameless!" while some politicians were sprayed with paint and ducked flying objects.
Catalonia, which accounts for about one-fifth of Spain's wealth, ran a deficit of 3.9 percent of its gross domestic product last year and has a target -- as do all individual regional governments -- to reduce it to 1.3 percent by the end of this year.
Mas said the police would use legitimate force if necessary to tackle the crowds, who were more subdued in the afternoon. Around 30 people were injured earlier, media reports said.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/15/spain-catalonia-idUSLDE75E1XZ20110615?rpc=401
Spanish protesters clash with policeBARCELONA, Spain, June 15 (UPI) -- A large protest encouraged by the Spanish M-15 movement left 36 people injured in Barcelona after a clash with authorities, officials said.
Twelve regional police officers were hurt and 24 protesters were hospitalized Wednesday when more than 2,000 demonstrators blocked the entry to the Catalan regional Parliament, EFE reported.
The group said it was protesting against Spain's 2012 budget that aims to cut public spending by 10 percent.
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Police said they used legitimate force that was necessary to handle the crowds.
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http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/06/15/Spanish-protesters-clash-with-police/UPI-77551308160539/#ixzz1PNaNzdQA---- For more detail ----
Spain’s ‘Indignant Ones’ by Pablo Ouziel, Middle East Online, 2011-06-15
... It has been one month since the country’s ‘Indignados’ (Indignant Ones) movement claimed nonviolently sixty city-squares in cities across the country, calling for economic democracy, political justice and peace. Since then, much has happened within Spanish borders, and what is happening there is clearly spreading across Europe, where we have already witnessed social movements making similar demands. We have seen the Bastille in Paris, taken nonviolently by French ‘Indignados’ only to be quickly reclaimed by the country’s police force. We have observed the rise of a parallel movement in Portugal where most city squares have also been camped on by ‘Indignados’, and where only hours before the country’s general elections protestors in Lisbon were attacked and beaten by police. We have witnessed how on that same night, in Athens, Greece,80,000 protestors congregated in the city’s main square in opposition to the country’s ‘austerity measures’, waving banners in solidarity with the ‘Indignados’ of Spain and of other European countries.
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The movement’s first nationwide coordinated initiative since the spontaneous movement mushroomed on May 15th, the boycott of Town Halls, was well represented over the weekend by ‘Indignados’ across Spain. Demonstrators across the country blocked entrances to Town Halls, climbed onto the balconies, blocked official cars from exiting car parks, disturbed investiture sessions with incriminating speeches, and followed politicians across cities as they celebrated their victories, shouting to them, “shame on you!”
Sadly, the police force was equally mobilized. In Valencia, where the new government has ten of its members including its president facing corruption charges, police charged at demonstrators injuring twelve and arresting five. The vice president of Spain, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, was forced to cancel a planned trip to the city in order to avoid further protests. In the city of Santiago de Compostela police also attacked the protestors. In the city of Madrid, police batons hit them. In the city of Salamanca five ‘Indignados’ were injured. In the city of Burgos two were arrested. In the city of Castellón, they were violently dispersed. In the city of Vigo, they were also dispersed; and, in the city of Palma de Mallorca, three were arrested. Following the numerous arrests across the country, spontaneous demonstrations followed in front of police headquarters demanding the prompt release of those detained. Most protestors where released on bail.
As things stand in Spain right now, according to a survey published by newspaper El Pais, there exists wide support (81%) amidst the Spanish population for the movement. In fact, in addition to public intellectuals such as Vicent Navarro, Arcadi Oliveras, or Eduardo Galeano giving them support, political figures such as Santiago Carrillo, who was the secretary general ofthe Spanish Communist Party during the country’s transition to democracy – a key voice throughout the transition, and Cayo Lara, the coordinator for the third largest political party in Spain, Izquierda Unida, have both aligned withthe movement’s views. Even Rosalía Mera, who is Spain’s richest woman according to Forbes Magazine, has expressed public support for the ‘Indignados’...
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http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=46733