| Praha (mathaba) The Czech Republic faced the largest anti-government protest since almost 23 years last Saturday, when more than 100,000 students, workers and senior citizens gathered on the Wenceslas Square in Praha (Prague) to demonstrate against the austerity measures and rampant corruption that have brought the center-right government to the brink of collapse. With banners showing slogans such as "Stop the government," "Stop the thieves", "I am ashamed of the government and the president" and "Stupid Capitalism, Stupid Government, Stupid Cuts", the masses proclaimed that they had enough of their destructive government and economic system. Protesters also jangled their keys, a signal to the government to lock up and leave. "This government is devastating state structures and is demeaning the unprotected with its asocial reforms," Jaroslav Zavadil, the head of the Confederation of Trade Unions, told the crowd. "We'll paralyze the country until the government falls," added Bohumír Dufek, president of Czech labor union, Asociace svobodných odborů ČR. As Czechs don't easily take the streets to vent their grievances and anger, the protests are a clear and signficant reaction of the people to the current situation and reflect the deep discontent of hundreds of thousands who face new increases in sales and income taxes. The Czech Republic is struggling to put in place austerity measures which the government claims are necessary to avoid the fate of financial collapse, which hit Greece and Italy and threaten other European countries such as the Netherlands. On April 23, the Dutch government fell over failed austerity talks. In an attempt to censor similar popular protests, the Spanish government has announced that it will close the border with France during the European Central Bank summit in Barcelona, from midnight on April 28 until midnight on May 4. During this period, people attempting to enter Spain from France will face stringent security checks. Anyone judged to be an anti-system protester will not be allowed to access the country. While more popular actions sweep the collapsing western capitalism in cities around Europe, Jamahiri actions also grow accross Europe, spreading the Jamahiri Ideology (ideology of the masses) based on the Third Universal Theory as an alternative to both capitalism and communism. -- mathaba /ch/ak/ |