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Protest in Barcelona
I saw this picture in this week?s "Week in Pictutures" - 10th picture http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46591090/ns/news/displaymode/1247/?beginSlide=1
With the caption "Austerity measures - A man confronts protesters who were vandalizing a bank during a protest against cuts in public education in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 29."
We're going to Spain at the end of April for 2 weeks, and we definitely have a few concerns since they are, sadly, at 23% unemployment. Seeing this doesn't put me at rest but reading AgsWife?s review makes me feel better b/c it sounded like a wonderful/normal vacation. Hopefully the news is making a bigger deal out of stuff than it really is?the news does like to do that.
Before everyone gets in ?attack? mode, I?m more just stating this. I?m not trying to have anyone make me feel better, I?m excited we?re going to Spain and can?t wait to see everything we have planned!
Re: Protest in Barcelona
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I'm not overly concerned either, I was just stating it more as a "hey I saw this" that's why I tried to add the *disclaimer* on the end since I know people can take things overboard.
Enjoy your trip!! I'm so excited for ours
50 days till a nice 18 day break from work!!
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We were just there and we came across a few protests. They were extremely organized and extremely peaceful. (One took place on a late Sunday morning, one took place in the Barre Gottic, one right on Las Ramblas at night.) Mostly, people were just walking in groups, etc. At one point, they sat down in the middle of the street, but the police kept them moving.
Unemployment is crazy high there - something like 23% of the population, with nearly 50% of young people being unemployed. Obviously, people are unhappy about that. It didn't seem like they were about to get violent, though.
GP buddy to blenderdance
I live in the north of Spain and my personal opinion is that the press is exaggerating things. Sure, those two kids throwing a chair at the man in the bank made for a heck of a picture, but they were two "radicals" out of thousands in an otherwise fairly peaceful protest. Heck, things were worse in Valencia where the police started beating the kids up!
Sure, the official unemployment rates (I say "official" since it doesn't take into account the number of people working under the table - something enormously common here) are shocking. Yes, people are fed up and it's getting worse since the newly elected government is essentially cutting jobs instead of creating stable employment. However, I wouldn't be worried about your vacation(s). I'd give you the same advice I'd give about any country, including the US: If you see any sort of demonstrations, steer clear and don't even think about getting involved.
There has been a bit of talk about a Spain-wide strike for March 29th. However, this has still to be confirmed by the unions. If this happens, it might be an ideal day (or two) to be off in the countryside away from big cities. Keep up to date with the news in Spain at http://elpais.com/elpais/inenglish.html
Couldn't have said it better. I was in Madrid in 2003 the week after Spain agreed to send troops to Iraq--for 120K protest. I watched the protests for a while--it was a march at the start--and it was fine. I've also seen other protests in Madrid and Barcelona (and Budapest, come to think of it), and none of them have been scary. Obviously that can change in an instant, but keep your wits about you and know your 'escape' route. You can also register your trip with the US Dept of State, in case things get hairy unexpectedly.
We saw protests when we were in Spain last September (both in Madrid and Barcelona). As a pp said, they were very organized and not a big deal. Just like anything else - be aware of your surroundings and don't do anything stupid.
Hope everyone has a great trip!