Protests mark Angela Merkel's visit to Lisbon, Portugal (video)

During Angela Merkel's visit to Lisbon, protesters gathered peacefully to denounce Germany's decision to back a recent series of austerity measures in the bailed-out Eurozone state.

Playing with puppets representing Portugal's Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho (L), Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel in front of the presidential palace, dozens of protesters demonstrated against Merkel's visit to the city. 

Merkel met with the Portuguese President on Monday at the Palace of Belem in Lisbon. She also held talks with Prime Minister Coelho and attended a conference by leading German and Portuguese corporations. 

Merkel told a joint news conference with Coelho that "The program is being applied by Portugal in an excellent manner. It is a great exploit." "My visit is a chance to get to know the country better and to bring hope. I sense a great determination to overcome a difficult situation. Germany wants to support Portugal."

However, protesters did not agree with her. Amidst a heavy police presence, white- and blue-collar workers joined with city students, draping statues in black mourning sashes to ‘mourn’ the German chancellor’s visit, carrying banners with slogans like ‘Merkel, no!’ and ‘Get out!’ Other banners had a Nazi theme, and said 'Merkel Nazi, Go Away!' and, in German, 'Merkel Raus' (Merkel Out). 

Artwork as sprung up all over the city, portraying Merkel as a puppet-master and also as a gambler in a casino, playing with Portugal's future.

One protester told RT, "These measures have been killing us, they give us no future, its only bringing unemployment and misery."  

Euronews reported that São José Lapa, a well-known Portuguese actress, was among 100 Portuguese academics and intellectuals who signed an open letter to Chancellor Merkel to tell her she is unwelcome in the country, reading: “I want to say to Mrs. Merkel: ‘You have to stop putting your paws in all the countries of Europe that have great problems like ours. It’s an indecency to our nationality. You seem like you are the owner, that this is your territory’.” 

A protest leader in the “Que se lixe a troika” (Damn the troika) movement, Marco Marques, said, “She’s not coming to re-evaluate her policies, she’s coming to sell Portugal. She is coming to Portugal with a group of businessmen to diagnose the misery.” 

On Monday, a Portuguese daily newspaper, Informacao, ran a photo of Merkel on the front page, captioned with ‘Hail Angela, those who are about to die salute you!’ 

Merkel told Rádio e Televisão de Portugal in an interview on Sunday, “People can't see the results yet, but the results will come.” while praising Lisbon for carrying out economic reforms and spending cuts, in return for a 78-billion-euro bailout package. 

Portugal's main trade union confederation is planning a 24-hour general strike for Wednesday, along with several other European countries. 

The reason for so much upset and protest in Portugal is the austerity budget for 2013, adopted by Portugal's center-right governing coalition government last month, which includes steep public spending cuts and tax increases. The final vote for this budget is set to take place on Tuesday and it is hoped that this budget will generate 5.3 billion euros, mainly through tax hikes.

With Portugal facing its worst economic crisis since the 1970's, and unemployment soaring to 16%, officials from the "Troika" (the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank and other EU member states) are about to begin their sixth quarterly review of Portugal's implementation of the bailout conditions.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/336753#ixzz2C8dosebr

Portugal military protest austerity in Lisbon (video)

Holding red cards and banners, thousands of military personnel marched through the streets of Lisbon on Saturday, protesting the austerity measures and budget cuts imposed in Portugal. 

Wearing civilian clothing, with some proudly displaying their medals, an estimated 5,000-10,000 active and retired soldiers rallied against "unjustified cutbacks" in the 2013 budget. They called for Portuguese President Aníbal António Cavaco Silva to veto the controversial austerity budget adopted by the government. 

They marched quietly, carrying banners calling for respect for the military and for "national sovereignty." Some banners read, “Police are unhappy, military are unhappy, people are unhappy”. 

With some officers complaining that their monthly wages have been cut by as much as 25%, one soldier told AFP, "We are getting cut after cut and there is no light at the end of the tunnel." 

Sergeant José Paulo Leitão said, “The 2013 budget proposes we make higher payments for medical care, although the service is worse. We pay more for less.” 

According to retired navy officer, Armenio Teodoro: “All the soldiers – not just me – have the right to receive our pension with dignity, because they discounted the money from our salaries. Now I ask, where’s our money? Where’s the money we paid for so many years?” 

Other reasons for the protest are the decline in finances for maintenance and training, as well as the cuts in the social sphere and tax hikes. Several associations which represent the military called on Portugal's Constitutional Court to review the legality of next year's budget. The court ruled in July against a finance law, and told the government to revise the measure, which stripped bonuses from civil servants. The court argued that it violated constitutionally-guaranteed rights to equal treatment.

Now the protesters hope to receive a similar outcome with the austerity budget. Portugal received a €78-billion bailout package in 2011 from the Troika, comprised of the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Now austerity measures are needed to keep within this package. Lisbon must lower its budget deficit to 3% of GDP by 2014.

According to Eurostat, thanks to austerity measures, the economy is expected to shrink by 3% in 2012, while unemployment is around 15.7%. Euronews is reporting that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has praised Lisbon's efforts to reduce the deficit. Merkel is due to visit Lisbon on Monday.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/336609#ixzz2BuBketQv

Spanish students take to the streets in protests throughout Spain

Amidst ongoing protests throughout Spain, thousands of students took to the streets in Madrid on Wednesday, angry at proposed education cuts which they say leaves them with "no future." 

While thousands marched in Madrid as part of a three day action, according to local police, a further 3,000 rallied in the streets of Barcelona and thousands more protested in Valencia and other major Spanish cities.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335033

Video: MUTE — The visualization of an economic rape

Yiannis Biliris has created a short documentary which, with very few words, gives a clear picture of the current economic crisis in Greece. The video shows us that Greece's economic rape is turning into a social one. 

Biliris was born in Athens, Greece in May 1980.  At a young age he began experimentation in filming and on graduating, attended a film-editing school. He has worked for several TV stations, editing live news and feature stories. He also collaborated on the Greek public television documentary series "Exandas". He has received three Official Selections, one Honorable Mention in the 2009 International Photography Awards and seven of his photographs made it to the finals of the Px3 2010 - People’s choice awards. 

Biliris now turns his attention and artistic eye to the crisis in Greece and with very few words, gives a clear indication of the economic and social rape of Greece in "MUTE - The visualization of an economic rape".

Sorry, I can't figure out how to embed the Vimeo video here, but you can view the documentary on this website: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335031