As many as 5,000 people took to the streets of Lisbon yesterday (Wednesday) demanding an end to the politics of austerity – but curiously the news, covered by Agence France-Presse, was almost brushed under the carpet in Portugal. The only ‘stories’, using AFP’s text, appeared on Brazilian news portals. Here there was barely a whisper.
Organised by trades unions, the protest attracted many from all over Portugal and ended up seeing banner-waving protestors converge on parliament.
Nuno Costa, 49, was described as having travelled all the way from Viseu to take part.
“We’re all fed up with this form of politics. We are living what Greece is living. Wages are very low, and the Portuguese are getting poorer and poorer,” he said.
Carlos Silva, 36, the director of a money-transport firm, told reporters: “I still have work, but most of my generation has had to emigrate to France, Switzerland, Germany and England”.
AFP reports that demonstrators were also campaigning against the privatisations of public companies and demanding a return to the 35-hour working week for public sector workers (not long ago increased to 40-hours in a bid to increase productivity).
