A group of several hundred Spanish protesters, tired of the country’s high unemployment and, what they see as government ineptitude have arrived in Madrid after marching from various towns in Spain for almost a month. Marchers set off from cities like Valencia, Cadiz, Barcelona and Bilbao, and were joined by other protesters all along the route. Their plan is to hold a large rally in Puerta del Sol, one of Madrid’s main squares, today.
The protesters, along with millions of others in Spain, are tired of the 21 percent Spanish unemployment rate and the frustrations of trying to get a job if they’re under the age of 30 — an age group with 35 percent unemployment. Even somewhat lower-end jobs like working in hotel restaurants and kitchens are difficult to come by, although Spain’s tourism industry is seeing a continuingly vibrant resurrection.
Protests have been ongoing in Spain for most of the year with, at one point, several million camping out for three weeks in squares all over Spain.
Some of the month-long-march group also plan on continuing their march to Brussels, to lay their complaints before the European Union. But, with much of Europe in the same boat, albeit not with as devastating unemployment figures as Spain, it’s doubtful their march will have much impact.