Baku-APA. Thousands of people demonstrated on Wednesday in Barcelona against the cuts carried out by the Spanish government in the second general strike of 2012 organized in Spain, APA reports quoting Xunhua.
Under the slogan "Que no ens prenguin el futur. Hi ha culpables. Tenim solucions" ("Do not let them take us our future. They are guilty. We have solutions"), people demonstrated peacefully in Passeig de Gracia, one of the most important shopping and business streets in Barcelona, demanding solutions to the economic crisis.
According to the main Spanish unions, the Workers Commissions (CCOO) and the General Workers Union (UGT) there have been one million people in Passeig de Gracia, while government figures put it at 50,000 and the local police 110,000.
There was another alternative demonstration through Via Laietana (one of the main thoroughfares in the city), where in the evening there have been serious incidents. Protestors set fire to two police vans and a policeman was run over and taken to the hospital.
Throughout the day minimum services have been working without major incidents although there have been various attacks against buses, metro stations and some roads and railway lines have been blocked due to tyre and container burnings.
About 118 people have been arrested and 74 were injured in Spain according to data provided by the government.
This is the second strike of 2012 in Spain against the austerity policies implemented by the government of Mariano Rajoy. Protesters said that these policies, instead of solving the crisis, only create more unemployment and poverty.
On the other hand the Spanish government justified the cuts arguing that spending needs to be reduced in order to achieve fiscal consolidation and meet the deficit target required by Brussels.
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