"
Sanchez, you're garbage, lower our bills!"
shouted the thousands of demonstrators on Saturday, March 19, in front of Madrid City Hall, waving Spanish flags and chanting slogans calling for the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
As in Madrid, rallies have been held in the main cities of the country at the call of the far-right Vox party, which is surfing on growing social discontent due to the rising cost of living, with many homes in difficulty paying their bills.
To discover
LIVE - War in Ukraine: Zelensky demands serious talks, Russian forces enter Mariupol
“
We have the worst possible government.
It's not even a government, it's a sweatshop [...] that plunders and extorts workers with abusive taxes
,” said Vox leader Santiago Abascal to cheers from the crowd.
"
We will not leave the streets until this illegitimate government is expelled
."
This government is "
taking everything from us
", said Anabel, a 56-year-old protester who did not give her last name.
“
They raise electricity and gas prices and say it's because of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, but that's a lie.
It was like that before
,” she told AFP.
Last year, energy prices soared 72% in Spain, one of the highest increases in the European Union, and costs have risen further since the invasion of Ukraine by the Russia.
On Monday, Spanish lorry drivers went on an indefinite strike over fuel prices, which quickly turned into multiple roadblocks and protests.
Rising prices also prompted the UGT and CCOO, Spain's two largest unions, to call a nationwide strike on March 23.
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/JVLB4BGCGKEAEERWV6XUTKFN2U.jpg)
