EU: 43 million can't even afford food

According to data of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, some 43 million EU citizens can't even afford food anymore. 

This is 8.5% of the population of the continental confederation (507 millions) but the actual figure must be larger in fact because the data only gathers information from 22 states (the EU has 28 members). The most affected states are Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Spain and Italy. 

No truce for the poor: fines for being forced to sleep outdoors

In Spain the situation is particularly severe, as the ultra-conservative authorities are issuing anti-beggar regulations such as heavy fines for sleeping in the streets. In Madrid specifically, those sleeping in the streets, begging or washing car windscreens for a tip, will be fined with up to €1.500, a figure that obviously they do not have. 

Other activities like skating will also be sanctioned in the Castilian capital. 

According to official sources, in Spain one of every five people (almost 10 millions) is poor, 2.2 million children suffer hunger and 30% of owned homes are in or nearing mortgage default (debt that will continue even after eviction).

Source: Webguerrillero[es] (link 1, link 2).

Thousands march in Romania against cyanide poisoning plans by Canadian mining company

All the last week there have been protests in the European country against the intention of Gabriel Resources, a multinational mining company with see in Canada, to exploit a gold mine in, Rosia Montana, Transylvania by means of cyanide.

The toxic corporation plans to contaminate with nothing less than 12,000 tons of cyanide per year. Naturally Romanians are outraged. 

Only this Sunday some 8000 people marched in Buchares, while 6000 did the same in Cluj against cyanide poisoning and capitalist corruption. 

Source: Webguerrillero[es].

Romania: nuclear power plant in emergency shutdown

The Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant, the only of its kind in the Danubian republic, has suffered an emergency shutdown yesterday.

Apparently it was not caused by any major accident and the facility will be re-started tomorrow but then the same sources admit that they have no idea yet of what went wrong.

The Nuclearelectrica National Nuclear Power Corporation announced unit 2 of the Cernavoda nuclear-power plant shut down unexpectedly on Wednesday at 11:300hrs, EET, and it will be restarted on Friday.

The unit shut down automatically as a result of an automatic rapid closure system having unexpectedly gone up. The causes for the closure are being investigated according to the procedures of the plant.

The unit is safely down and it will be restarted as soon as the exact causes behind the malfunction are found.

The plant provides 20% of the electricity of Romania.

Source: Ex-SKF.

Latest from the class struggle in Europe

I got reports of violent repression in Romania, the island of Sicily stopped by a general strike, antifascist clashes in Lisbon and arrests of antifascists in Galicia.

Protestation.org echoes with two videos the police violence against demonstrators (who seem to be resisting nonviolently):

Another longer video in Romanian can be found here.

The same site reports of a general strike in Sicily brining the island to a total halt. Video:

Meanwhile in Lisbon, Portugal, indignados (outraged), who were marching in big numbers, clashed with fascists who were defended by police, as reports Sare Antifaxista[es] (there is a video but I don't seem able to embed it, sorry).

In Compostela (aka Santiago), Galicia, four people were arrested after the demonstration against the recently deceased fascist leader Manuel Fraga. There does not seem to have been reason for those arrests other than police wanted to arrest someone. Source: Galiza Livre[gal].


Update:

Another  video (RT) reporting on Romania protests: we want jobs!

Several thousand people demonstrated in the historical Basque capital, Pamplona, (right) against loss of jobs: no more firings in Navarre, share the jobs, share the crisis ··> Gara[es].

Class war clashes and protests all around Europe

The persistent clashes in Bucharest and other Romanian cities, demanding the resignation of the government and a stop to austerity measures (social bankruptcy, neo-Thatcherism) have been synchronous with comparable protests in Greece and Spain, says Press TV:

Meanwhile in Germany people also demonstrated against Capitalism.

Update: strike in Greece stops transport through the country ··> Al Jazeera. 

From the Net: ''One solution, another revolution!' the slogan as thousands protest austerity in Romania' (Counterfire)

By Stef Newton at Counterfire

Thousands of protesters waving flags sing the national anthem, ‘Awaken thee, Romanian!’ among burning trash cans and broken windows. No, it’s not historical footage of the 1989 Revolution, but the fourth consecutive day of protests against the Romanian government’s austerity measures.

It all kicked off when Deputy Health Minister Raed Arafat, a widely popular Romanian physician of Palestinian origin, resigned in opposition to a draft healthcare reform bill that represented a partial privatisation of the healthcare system. The protests began on Thursday, with a solidarity demonstration in support of Arafat that took a violent turn. Riot police used tear gas against protesters, who responded by throwing bricks and Molotov cocktails at them. Protesters chanted ‘Down with the thieves! One solution, another revolution!’ and lit candles for heroes of the 1989 rebellion, a series of riots that marked the end of Nicolae Ceausescu’s regime.

... read the full story at Counterfire.

Romania: growing protests and popular revolt against austerity for the poor

It's cold in the Balcans in Winter (I remember as low as -24ºC years ago in Macedonia) yet Romanians are on the streets venting out their anger against social cuts, tax rises and perpetual corruption.

Al Jazeera:

Russia Today:

Telegraphic news review (July 22)

[Updated]

Romania: Protest against Canadian gold mine project in Romania. Permit is illegal. Cyanide poison risk. Culture minister resignation demanded. AFP.

Spain: Indignants' March approaches Madrid. Tele Sur video at PO (Spanish with English subtitles).

Belarus: 20 arrested in silent protests against dictatorship. Euronews video at PO.

Egypt: Protests continue for fast track reform. ABC.

South Africa: Wave of strikes grows. Extreme police repression. One killed. New law restricts freedom of speech. COSATU denounced as strike-breaker. Executive workers may earn as much as 300 times what basic workers. WSWS.

Malawi: Riots demand that President Mutharika resigns. Lilongwe and Mzuzu most affected. Violence began when judge declared peaceful protests against the rising cost of life illegal. BBC.

Japan: Fukushima Daiichi reactors no. 3 and  no. 4 suffer electric supply cut. TEPCO denies it may be yet another problem. NHK.

Colombia: 10,000 oil workers on strike. Unhappiness with working conditions. Triggered by firing of 1100 contractors by CEPSA's local subsidiary Cepcolsa after they became unionized. Contractors forced to accept short weekly contracts once and again. Fox.

USA: Hunger strike in California prison continues against extreme isolation punishments. Tele Sur video (Spanish with English subtitles) at PO.

Australia: Tear gas and bean bag rounds (shock pellets that can kill) to repress riot at immigrant detention center in Christmas Island. ABC.

Health: Key male infertility defect affects 25% and is a hidden protein defect (normal motility and sperm count). SD.

Quantum Physics: Heavy cousin of neutron observed for first time: Xi-sub-b (Ξ_b⁰). SD.

Thanks to Protestation.org and Energy News. 

Suicide attempt at Romanian Parliament on welfare cuts

A man tried to kill himself jumping from the public tribune at the Romanian Parliament. It has been reported that he has an autistic son and the Government has suspended social aid in the frame of the latest austerity craze that is destroying Europe.

Follows video from Russian TV (text by poster at YouTube). Warning of real life violence.

Found at Sare Antifaxista.