European Awakening: Anti-corporatism rallies sweep Europe

Hundreds of thousands of protesters have poured onto the streets in the European cities to protest against corporatism, top-level corruption, and state-sponsored austerity measures, Press TV reports.

Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ireland, and Portugal were some of the countries that saw huge protest rallies on Saturday.

While most rallies were peaceful, violence erupted in some cities, including Rome and London.

Protesters from around Italy turned out to express their outrage at the current economic situation and the parliament which recently granted Premier Silvio Berlusconi another confidence vote, as well as a series of political and moral scandals that many feel has brought shame to the country.

Sources estimate that over 200,000 protesters arrived in Rome on trains and coaches yesterday. Reportedly over 70 individuals, including police officers and local residents, have been injured in clashes between police and protesters in the Italian capital.

Protesters’ peaceful rally turned violent in London when police used the controversial kettling tactic as officers moved to trap protesters inside a tight cordon near Saint Paul’s Cathedral. Anti-corruption demonstrators have now set up tents in an effort to occupy the area.

The number of arrests in London is still not clear.

Meanwhile more than 40,000 protesters have taken to the streets in Germany, including over 8000 people in Berlin and 6000 at the headquarters of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt. They have similarly been calling for more democracy and an end to the prevalence of financial corporatism and greed.

Munich, Cologne, Hamburg, and many more German cities also saw large demonstrations staged by thousands of protesters.

Additionally, thousands of Spaniards converged near Plaza Cataluna in central Barcelona, stressing that ordinary people will not pay for the debts incurred by the government and the big corporations supporting it.

They also voiced outrage and frustration at the unemployment – the rate of which is over 21 percent in the European country now – corruption in politics, and cuts to public spending.

Anti-corporatism protesters say they have been inspired by the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement which began in the United States in mid-September to denounce the excessive influence of wealthy corporations on American politics and the government’s misguided financial policies.

Protesters have adopted the motto “We are the 99 percent” to draw attention to the fact that they are treated differently from the one percent of Americans that are in possession of most of the nation’s wealth.