Madrid’s Anti-Austerity March Turns Violent

Thousands protested in Madrid, Spain against the austerity measures put in place by the government. Many of the protesters arrived in the city on foot.

The protest, called The March for Dignity, turned violent near the Popular Party headqurters.

At least 29 protesters were arrested and 101 people were injured in the clash. 67 of those injured were police, as  a group protesters threw stones and firecrackers at them and attempted to breach their perimeter.

RT’s Egor Piskunov reported from the Spanish capital:

The mass rally was coming to an an end when reportedly a group of younger protesters, who had masks on their faces, started throwing rocks at the police. Police tried to push them away from the parameter that they organized around this area.

They (police) tried to push them (protesters) away from these police fences and then we started seeing firecrackers being thrown at police and reportedly authorities started firing rubber bullets at the protesters. As a result, there are injuries on both sides and several people have been arrested as well.

I can confirm that there is very heavy police presence in this whole district. Since it is the center of Madrid, there are lots of luxury hotels in this part of town and security here is very tight. (source)

The protest is expected to continue throughout the weekend, with many protestors saying they will not leave Madrid until their demands are met.