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Emilio Morenatti / AP
Miners sing as they march along a street after walking for more than 20 days from the northern Asturias and Leon regions, on their way to Puerta del Sol, Madrid's most emblematic square, on the evening of July 10, 2012.
Dani Pozo / AFP - Getty Images
Coal miners march through Madrid on July 10, 2012.
The Associated Press reports from Madrid — Spanish coal miners angered by huge cuts in government subsidies for their industry converged on Madrid Tuesday for protest rallies after walking nearly three weeks under a blazing sun from the pits where they eke out a living.
The miners, wearing hard hats with lamps, were joined by thousands of sympathizers in the city. One group of about 160 miners walked all the way from the northern Asturias and Leon regions, as many as 250 miles away from Madrid, and about 40 made an almost equally long trek from the northeastern Aragon region. Read the full story.
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Andrea Comas / Reuters
Coal miners walk during the last stage of their "Marcha Negra" (Black March) in Madrid on July 10, 2012.
Kote Rodrigo / EPA
Thousands of people acclaim coal miners from northern Spain as they rally outside Puerta del Sol in Madrid on July 10, 2012.
Emilio Morenatti / AP
People applaud as miners march along a street after walking for more than 20 days, on their way to Puerta del Sol in Madrid on July 10, 2012.
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hmmmm....I always thought the people of Spain were smarter, more intelligent then the people pf Greece.
I was wrong.
more FREE sh!t
more FREE sh!t
ComradeObama - Since these coal miners earn about $9.50/hr, is that your opinion of all working poor? Remember, when the marches don't work next comes the torches and pitchforks. If austerity did this to Spain, it can do it to this country.
you are an idiot
"Spanish miners converge on Madrid" Don't they have a curfew for these young people? aaaa..
I suspect this is a group of "young people" the Spanish authorities really don't want to pick a fight with.
Numbers on the Fore-Head..........
You can march and protest till your feet bleed. If there's no money, there's no money. You can't get water from a rock. Your financial experiment failed. It has happened to all fallen nations in the past. Move out or move on.
I don't support welfare states or bloated govt. spending or out-of-control deficits, but I read these miners only make the equal of about US $9.50 per hour (1200 Euros per month). That's not much to mine coal. I don't know what Spain will do, but these are not fat-cat government employees making huge $$$ who are marching.
Not a lot of us would mine coal for $1.75 per hour above the minimum wage of $7.25 here in our country. A starting coal miner over here makes between $60K and $70K per year.
Again, I think Europe has made its own nanny-state mess that it will need to come to terms with and clean up, but this group seems to have some legitimate reasons to be angry.
whoever the photog is... nice pictures. (no sarcasm, really... the second pic from the top is great)
You're right about the second picture but the third picture is simply dumb. Not only does the light in the background take away from what is in the forefront but it also makes the group appear smaller than it is. As far as the background light is concerned I would think that would be something my 7 year could do better.
subsidies AAAHHHAAA