Man Slams A Cement Mixer Into Irish Parliament Building As Austerity Protests Erupt Across Europe

[girl gone mad]

Mans Slams A Cement Mixer Into Irish Parliament Building As Austerity Protests Erupt Across Europe

Anti-austerity protests have erupted across Europe, with a particularly aggressive Irish cement truck driver leading the charge:

AP:

Anti-austerity protests erupted across Europe on Wednesday — Greek doctors and railway employees walked off the job, Spanish workers shut down trains and buses, and one man even rammed a cement truck into the Irish parliament to protest the country's enormous bank bailouts.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators poured into Brussels, hoping to swell into a 100,000-strong march on European Union institutions later in the day and reinforce the impact of Spain's first nationwide strike in eight years.

...

"There is a great danger that the workers are going to be paying the price for the reckless speculation that took place in financial markets," Monks said. "You really got to reschedule these debts so that they are not a huge burden on the next few years and cause Europe to plunge down into recession."

The cement mixer in question slammed into Irish parliament at about 7 a.m., with the phrase 'Anglo Toxic Bank' painted across it.

Irish Central:



Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/europe-rocked-by-austerity-protests-across-the-continent-2010-9#ixzz10veawFpS


I wonder if Americans will protest when our leaders decide to implement austerity here to "pay back" the trillions they've just handed to our banks.

[northernlights]

1. they won't implement austerity...

one day we'll wake up to a $1,000 loaf of bread and a house we can't sell for $1,000. :(

[jtuck004]

2. I have this vision of an enraged American ramming their Prius into a building.

It bounces off.

A headline on msnbc.com this morning - "Voters desperate for change — but, um, they're not sure what change". (That really brings to mind the people standing on the corner with the tea bags hanging from their straw hats)

IMO, the real problem is that "corporation think" has taken over our country, and our government. If the transaction can be done, it must be good. More money to shareholders by moving jobs out of our borders? Health care that adds tens of billions to the bottom line of health insurance company "middlemen" who provide no health care? Replacing our manufacturing base with finacial services and short-lived careers at Starbucks or Walmart? If the government gets in the way put your own people in and change the laws or get a lobbyist to buy them some pizzas. If the deal CAN be done, there is no further thought required.

But given that "business" has been a pretty resilient structure maybe it's time to co-opt that power? When International Harvester closed their plant because it couldn't be profitable and laid off all the workers years ago the workers bought the place, figured out a structure for ownership, taught each person their value to the bottom line, and proved International Harvester wrong. Lots of smaller businesses have been spun off, a common result of working in manufacturing.

Any effective protest needs educated partcipants, so maybe nationwide conciousness-raising groups could study and deterimine for themselves what the country needs to secure herself and her citizens in the 22nd century. If they decide that is the direction they could develop business training, figure out how to get their hands on the assets needed. We HAVE to reduce the power and influence of the financial sector, but until people will put the time into understanding how and why, and are willing to step up and keep a business running without that kind of financing, I think we will continue to point at everyone except the real bandits.

Maybe Soros would fund it, like Peterson has the anti-Social Security forums?

Otherwise I'm afraid it will be just a bunch of people milling around in the street. Easy targets.