Police detain a man as picketers and protesters clashed with police during a 24-hour nationwide general strike in Madrid, November 14, 2012. (Reuters / Susana Vera)
Eighty two people have been arrested and 38 injured, including 18 police officers, as Spanish police react swiftly to reports of property damage and disorderly behavior while mass protests that began in Spain continue to roll out across the EU.
A wave of anti-austerity anger is sweeping across Europe. Spain and Portugal are undergoing general strikes, whereas Greece and Italy are seeing many walkouts.
In Spain – the fourth-biggest eurozone economy, yet with one in four workers unemployed – activists and unions will also be staging an evening rally outside the parliament in the capital, Madrid.
The atmosphere remains tense in the capital following violent confrontations which resulted in dozens of arrests and injuries. Among those detained were a man and a woman from Madrid who were allegedly carrying material to build a bomb, including gasoline, nails, screws and a firecracker, El Mondo reports.
There were more sporadic clashes between riot police and protesters as thousands continue to gather on the central square of Puerta del Sol. Baton-yielding riot police police were seen chasing hostile protesters down a central thoroughfare near city hall, where many of the shops have been shuttered in anticipation of potential riots. Police also fired rubber bullets into the air to disperse demonstrators from key locations in the heart of the city.
After a tense face-off between protesters and a police cordon near the iconic Plaza de Cibeles Square, demonstrators have finally backed down for the time being.
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