150,000 Spaniards demonstrate against the government’s failure to control prices

As many as 150,000 farmers, herders and fishermen marched on Sunday in the Spanish capital, Madrid, to protest the center-left government’s failure to tackle high prices exacerbated by the Ukraine crisis.
The mass demonstration came a day after thousands of demonstrators, called by the far-right Fox party, to take to the street, protesting against rising food, energy and fuel prices.
The demonstrators raised Spanish flags and blew whistles, and their march on Sunday passed through central roads in the capital, often led by tractors blaring their horns.
Among the slogans written on the protest banners were “Costs keep rising”, “We farmers are on the way to extinction” and “Save the rural world”.

A government official estimated that the protest, which drew 150,000 people, was organized by the Rural Alliance, which says it represents 10 million people in Spain.
Producers are complaining about rising fuel and fertilizer prices at a time when profits are falling. They also criticized the government of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for pushing animal welfare laws that restrict dog breeding or limit hunting.
Last year, energy prices rose 72% in Spain, one of the highest increases within the European Union, and costs have risen even more over the past weeks due to the Ukraine crisis.
Last Monday, Spanish truck drivers announced an open-ended strike over fuel prices, which quickly turned into roadblocks and protests, causing supply chain problems.