Iran MP: Capitalism preying on Europeans

Referring to the recent self-immolation of two jobless Spaniards, a senior Iranian lawmaker says European citizens are victims of the “ruthless spirit of capitalism.”

Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, a member of the Majlis Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy made the comments in an interview with the Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency (ICANA) on Sunday.
Falahatpisheh stated that Europe’s economic crisis started in 1970, adding, “The West gave the rich absolute freedom in order to keep capitalism alive and simultaneously claimed that it was protecting the rights of the poor, which caused a paradox in the political behavior of Europe.”
Two jobless Spaniards recently set themselves on fire in the city of Malaga. The two incidents, one of which led to the death of the victim, were apparently caused by economic hardship.
Battered by the global financial downturn, the Spanish economy collapsed into recession in the second half of 2008, taking with it millions of jobs.
On December 20, the lawmakers voted for further cuts in the 2013 budget, which, among other tough measures, slashes spending for healthcare and education and reduces pensions.