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More than 90,000 truckers have been striking and blockading Spanish routes for some three days now - gas pumps have gone dry and grocery store shelves are empty.
On the streets of Madrid, people raided supermarkets in bouts of panic buying. Eva Villafafila, a 34-year-old workplace safety inspector, said she stocked up Monday. "There were unbelievably long lines, and the supermarket staff said that if the strike continued, they would run out of chicken and eggs right away.
Riots have been erupting.
Police are suppressing riots.
People are being beaten by those police.
At least 2 protestors have died at the picket line in Spain and Portugal......[
On the streets of Madrid, people raided supermarkets in bouts of panic buying. Eva Villafafila, a 34-year-old workplace safety inspector, said she stocked up Monday. "There were unbelievably long lines, and the supermarket staff said that if the strike continued, they would run out of chicken and eggs right away.
Riots have been erupting.
Police are suppressing riots.
People are being beaten by those police.
At least 2 protestors have died at the picket line in Spain and Portugal......[
Spain promised "zero tolerance" for violence by striking truckers after a string of incidents including an arson attack on a strike-breaking truck that left the driver with burns to 25 percent of his body.
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The government said it had arrested 71 picketers for offences including intimidating non-striking drivers since the stoppage by 75,000 truckers began on Sunday night to call for government help to cope with high fuel prices......
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The government said it had arrested 71 picketers for offences including intimidating non-striking drivers since the stoppage by 75,000 truckers began on Sunday night to call for government help to cope with high fuel prices......
Some people will wonder if it will remain in the Spanish context, there are signs that this contagion is spreading with similar strikes across the globe:
UK Shell truckers (members of Unite, the union representing 641 tanker drivers) have threatened a 4 day walk-out – lines are forming at gas stations as people panic
These same drivers are in a panicky mood because Gazprom (Giant Russion Gas/Oil Company) made public statements that oil prices could hit $250/barrel in some "near" future
50,000 Polish lorry drivers held one-hour protests across the country although without blocking roads
Dutch truckers announced plans to block roads at 18 points across the country for 30 minutes
In Thailand truck drivers voted to begin strikes next week and block roads to the capital with 400,000 lorries unless the government helps them pay for soaring fuel costs
While in Hong Kong about 500 minibuses, lorries, garbage trucks and coaches staged a go-slow protest, crippling traffic in a demonstration calling for fuel taxes to be scrapped
Communists burned tyres and blocked roads in parts of eastern India angered by fuel price rises but elsewhere in the country calls for strikes were largely ignored.
In South Korea truckers voted to strike on Monday, ignoring a $10.2 billion (£5 billion) government aid package designed to cushion the impact of soaring fuel prices.
American Truckers struck in small numbers several weeks ago with a convoy of some 500 truckers that ended up in DC where they blew their horns all at once and shook everyone for miles.......Petrol protests go global - Telegraph
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