MEPs protest against cuts

MEPs from the European Free Alliance Group in the European Parliament have taken part in today's major protest march in Brussels against the social consequences of austerity measures in force across Europe.

Oriol Junqueras (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya) and Jill Evans (Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales) joined an estimated 80,000 people for the march through Europe's capital.

Speaking afterwards Jill Evans said:

"Ordinary people are paying the price of a financial crisis for which they are not responsible. Economic mismanagement and corporate greed are to blame, yet it's employees across Europe who are being forced to carry the can.

"We see governments across the EU making swingeing cuts in public spending, which will cause serious hardship for millions of people. With Wales facing an estimated £5bn of Tory/Lib Dem cuts by 2015, our own One Wales Government will work hard to protect the most vulnerable from the axe being wielded in London."

Catalan MEP Oriol Junqueras commented:

"Today's action is a protest against the fact that employees' real income has declined over the last ten years whilst banks have enjoyed exorbitant profits at the expense of working people. Despite seeing declining income over several years, it is European workers who are now having to deal with the consequences of this situation.

"The action is also a protest against the economic mismanagement of several Spanish governments. Economic upheaval has led to reform of labour laws. Over a long period, the Aznar government used the social security surplus to narrow the deficit. It was a way of overspending without being noticed. It meant mortgaging our future and was, in short, irresponsible. Similarly, the Zapatero government used the social security surplus to buy Spanish public debt. So not only does the Spanish government mis-spend millions that Catalunya pays every year to the State, they also put in peril workers' pensions in the future."