Ooooooooooh, I get it now!!!
There are protests, and then there are PROTESTS, right, MSM?
"Spain, Portugal fishermen strike over fuel prices" by Ciaran Giles, Associated Press Writer | May 30, 2008
MADRID, Spain --Spanish and Portuguese fishermen, enduring what they call the industry's worst crisis in a century, began nationwide strikes over soaring fuel prices Friday, the latest in a wave of oil-related protests sweeping Europe.
First I've seen of it in the MSM -- and its on a Saturday!!!!
Trawlers and larger commercial boats remained docked at ports across both countries, while around 10,000 demonstrators converged on Madrid to hand out 20 tons of fish for free in a bid to win public support.
"Cheap Fish, Expensive Diesel: No More Speculation," read one banner in Portuguese at a raucous protest outside the Agriculture Ministry in downtown Madrid. The Spanish fishermen, who blew whistles and chanted slogans criticizing the government, were joined by comrades from France and Portugal.
The strike is set to go on indefinitely. Estimates of the potential cost of the stoppage were not immediately available.
Spain has the European Union's largest fishing fleet and is the bloc's most important producer. Cepesca, the Spanish fishing confederation behind the strike, said it could see markets empty of fresh and frozen fish by June 16.
In the northwest Spanish port of Vigo, Europe's largest fishing port, the strike was taking its toll with only 9 tons of fish -- all from non-Spanish boats -- being sold at its wholesale market, compared with 70-80 tons on a normal day, a port official said.
The stoppage has been called by fishing companies but smaller, independent operators continued to fish. However, no large vessel docking in Vigo unloaded fish, and most dropped anchor rather than head back out to sea, the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity, insisting these were port rules.
The fishing workers are demanding government action to bring down fuel prices, tax breaks and restrictions on the import of cheaper fish from Africa and Latin America.
Would that American workers could feel so inspired, but they like eating shit.
Spanish Finance Minister Pedro Solbes said the government is looking for ways to help fishermen but does not think lowering taxes is the best way to solve the crisis....
Isn't that ALWAYS the way with government!!
Becoming more and more a Ron Paul convert by the day!
The Spanish fishing confederation -- which comprises 1,400 fishing companies employing 20,000 workers -- says the crisis is the worst in a century. It estimates fuel prices have gone up 320 percent in the past five years and claims many fishermen can no longer afford to take their boats out....
In Brussels, fishery sector representatives from across the continent met for strategy talks while a group of 50 Belgians protested outside EU headquarters with flares and banners demanding the 27-nation bloc take action to alleviate the crisis.
French fishermen have been protesting for more than two weeks, at times blocking oil terminals and ports and disrupting shipping traffic through the English Channel. They demand government aid to cope with prices of diesel, which they say have doubled since November, when the state pledged an aid package.
Huh. First I've heard of it. This can't be helping out Nico much, can it?
Many say their livelihoods are threatened by high costs, and are also demanding a relaxation of EU quotas on how much they can fish so they can make up for some of the fuel-related losses. Italy's Federcoopesca association said some 12,000 fishermen, or roughly a third of the national total, were taking part in the strike across Italy.
Franco Ricci, a regional official with the association, said the protest is likely to lead to scarcities in supermarket shelves and restaurants in the coming days and insisted the protest is not against consumers:
"This protest is not aimed at penalizing consumers, but to make people understand that companies cannot make it anymore."
Other sectors also began fuel protests. French farmers blocked two oil depots with their tractors. Truckers staged a so-called "snail" protest, driving hundreds of trucks extremely slowly on a major artery heading to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport."
At least America did have a one-day trucker strike -- although, ONE DAY is NOT ENOUGH!!
This thing needs to be SHUT DOWN until they START LISTENING!
I don't mean take the day off; I mean STOP WORKING, STOP CONSUMING and REFUSE to DO ANYTHING until the American people's gripes have been rectified!!!!
