A huge sea of people flooded Thursday evening the center of Madrid during a demonstration against the new austerity plan of the Spanish government, reported local journalists.
The unions had called for demonstrations in 80 cities.
The rallies were planned under the slogan "They want to ruin the country. We must prevent" against the plan which includes an increase in VAT and cuts in public service.
"Hands up, this is a holdup," roared the crowd motionless, lost in a forest of colorful flags, who flooded the main avenues of the city center, unable to move.
"If you want to win, fight tirelessly", "Rajoy robs us", "I want a Christmas," proclaimed the little signs. Others had the one word "NO" illustrated with a pair of scissors, a symbol of the new budget cuts that have angered the country.
Discomfort because of the Spaniards, already subject to heavy sacrifices in a country in recession, squeezed by unemployment of nearly 25%, is up a notch against this new turn of the screw.
The plan announced July 11 by the head of the Conservative government, Mariano Rajoy, to meet the demands of Brussels of 65 billion euros in savings through 2014, including through an increase in VAT, the deletion of this year Christmas bonus for employees, equivalent to one month's wages, and lower unemployment benefits.