2013 Photo Contest, Contemporary Issues, 3rd prize singles

Barcelona Demonstrations

Photographer

Emilio Morenatti

The Associated Press

29 March, 2012

Mireia Arnau (39) reacts behind the broken glass of her shop, stormed by demonstrators clashing with police in Barcelona, during a general strike on 29 March.

About the photographer

Emilio Morenatti

Emilio Morenatti is a photojournalist for The Associated Press based in Barcelona, Spain. With a master's degree in photojournalism and documentary photography from the Un...

Background story

Barcelona, Spain

Mireia Arnau (39) reacts behind the broken glass of her shop, stormed by demonstrators clashing with police in Barcelona, during a general strike on 29 March.

 

The national strike was called in protest against the government’s labor reforms. In an ongoing climate of economic difficulty, parliament was proposing stringent cuts, as well as measures aimed at making it easier for businesses to fire employees.

Spain’s unemployment was running at over 24 percent, the highest in the European Union, with half of under 25s out of work. Most protests across the country were peaceful, but in Barcelona some demonstrators hurled rocks at banks and shop fronts.

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