Thousands of people across the European Union protested against austerity measures that have hit public spending and services, with the main demonstrations in Spain, Belgium and Greece.
Brussels came to a stand still with the largest demonstration organised in the European Union with trade unionists across Belgium, France, and Italy all descending around the buildings of the European Union. Spain held its first general strike in eight years, which was called to oppose the Spanish government's spending cuts and reforms of the labour market and pensions. In Portugal, unions said 50,000 protesters joined a march in Lisbon and 20,000 in Porto.
The protestors in Brussels waved union flags and carried banners saying "No to austerity" and "Priority to jobs and growth", bringing major sections of Brussels to a standstill.
The Guardian in report said that "the protest was led by a group dressed in black suits and masks and carrying umbrellas and briefcases to represent financial speculators, acting as the head of a funeral cortege mourning the death of Europe."
Protesters in Brussels included steelworkers from the Ruhr, office workers from Wallonia, miners from Silesia, and civil servants from Lille, all demonstrating against the job losses, deferred retirement ages, diminished pensions, and cuts to schools, hospitals and welfare in their various home countries.
The London Daily News spoke with several protestors including a group of Belgium train workers who said "why are the workers paying the price of the mistakes of banks".
Unions said 100,000 demonstrators had gathered in Brussels although police put the figure at around half that, 56,000, and reported a couple of hundred arrests following scuffles with "anarchists" in the city centre.
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