Views from the hemispheric South, on the struggle of workers and the poor, from around the world, with a very few pieces I wrote myself.
Spain: Police state against the coal miners; the struggle continues
Posted 10th July 2012 at 03:32 by eyeheartlenin
[From the Fracción Trotskista, ft-ci.org – Unofficial translation]
Spanish state
Police state against the coal miners: the struggle continues
By Clase contra Clase (Spanish state)
Friday, July 6, 2012
The pictures of fire, the barricades, smoke and the valiant miners have now become customary during these months. After 36 days on strike, in recent weeks, the miners’ struggle has been intensifying, with harsh confrontations with the police, while the government is also toughening up its plan for cuts. In the Monday, July 2, meeting of the UGT and the Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) with the Minister of Industry, José Manuel Soria, Soria showed his intention not to back down an inch regarding the 2012 proposals, by defending austerity to the letter. As the General Secretary of the Industrial Federation of the Comisiones Obreras, Felipe López, announced, “The PSOE [Socialist Party] sentenced mining to death in 2018, and the PP [Partido Popular] is killing it in 2012.” In view of this, the government has also been responding, with blows and repression, to the toughness of the miners, who are continuing the strike and mobilization, with highway and railroad blockades in Asturias. One example of that is the harsh confrontations between the Guardia Civil and the miners in Ciñera, where, just as the workers are charging in the media, the riot police entered this small town of León, with nightsticks and illegal weapons, gas and even shooting at a school. The Mayor himself, Francisco Castañón (PP), stated that “the Guardia Civil troops seized the town, which they entered immediately, and in the streets of which they shot rubber bullets. Castañón, who described the events as ‘a pitched battle,’ asserted that the inhabitants of Ciñera are very tense...” (Público.es, July 4, 2012).
After the confrontations, the miners again tirelessly blocked highways and the railroad tracks to Asturias, affecting Alvia, Gijón, Madrid and León. Meanwhile, in these cities, the miners continued with barricades on the highways, with more confrontations with the police, as at the Sotón de Asturias mine, where the riot police chased the miners down the mountain. The industrial secretary general of the Comisiones Obreras of Asturias denounced a “constant repression” against the miners, describing the situation in the mining areas as a “police state”: “The unions are publicly charging that the security forces have taken one step further … After the road blockades, the agents ‘have been going to the nearest small town and arresting any miner that is there.’ They also state they have phones that were tapped, ‘it’s proven,’ and that when the workers go to the car to get to the actions, they find them with flat tires and, at other times, [the police] have broken the windows with rifle butts.’ According to information from the unions, there are already 110 workers prosecuted because of the protests.” (Público.es, July 5, 2012) The most recent raid took place on the night of July 5 and 6, in the town of Pola, that was occupied by the riot cops, who made the air unbreathable with tear gas, shooting bullets and raiding miners’ homes without any warrant.
As of today, the mine workers have been on strike for 36 days, while the walk that began in the coal-mining areas and which will bring more than 200 miners to Madrid, is in its eleventh day. Despite the severity of the repression, this march to Madrid is continuing its course, meeting constant solidarity on the road, in every small town. Buses are also being organized from different communities to Madrid. It is time for the union leaderships to transform the miners’ struggle into a big solidarity strike day throughout the state and break the social peace; it’s time to unify the working class and young people with a plan of struggle and mobilizations, until they defeat the historic attacks and cuts.
No more repression!
Cops out of the coal-mining areas!
Active solidarity and for a policy independent of the employers!
Let us set up support committees in all places of work and study!
The miners’ struggle must end in a new General Strike and a national plan of struggle until the attacks against the workers and the people are defeated!
Spanish state
Police state against the coal miners: the struggle continues
By Clase contra Clase (Spanish state)
Friday, July 6, 2012
The pictures of fire, the barricades, smoke and the valiant miners have now become customary during these months. After 36 days on strike, in recent weeks, the miners’ struggle has been intensifying, with harsh confrontations with the police, while the government is also toughening up its plan for cuts. In the Monday, July 2, meeting of the UGT and the Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) with the Minister of Industry, José Manuel Soria, Soria showed his intention not to back down an inch regarding the 2012 proposals, by defending austerity to the letter. As the General Secretary of the Industrial Federation of the Comisiones Obreras, Felipe López, announced, “The PSOE [Socialist Party] sentenced mining to death in 2018, and the PP [Partido Popular] is killing it in 2012.” In view of this, the government has also been responding, with blows and repression, to the toughness of the miners, who are continuing the strike and mobilization, with highway and railroad blockades in Asturias. One example of that is the harsh confrontations between the Guardia Civil and the miners in Ciñera, where, just as the workers are charging in the media, the riot police entered this small town of León, with nightsticks and illegal weapons, gas and even shooting at a school. The Mayor himself, Francisco Castañón (PP), stated that “the Guardia Civil troops seized the town, which they entered immediately, and in the streets of which they shot rubber bullets. Castañón, who described the events as ‘a pitched battle,’ asserted that the inhabitants of Ciñera are very tense...” (Público.es, July 4, 2012).
After the confrontations, the miners again tirelessly blocked highways and the railroad tracks to Asturias, affecting Alvia, Gijón, Madrid and León. Meanwhile, in these cities, the miners continued with barricades on the highways, with more confrontations with the police, as at the Sotón de Asturias mine, where the riot police chased the miners down the mountain. The industrial secretary general of the Comisiones Obreras of Asturias denounced a “constant repression” against the miners, describing the situation in the mining areas as a “police state”: “The unions are publicly charging that the security forces have taken one step further … After the road blockades, the agents ‘have been going to the nearest small town and arresting any miner that is there.’ They also state they have phones that were tapped, ‘it’s proven,’ and that when the workers go to the car to get to the actions, they find them with flat tires and, at other times, [the police] have broken the windows with rifle butts.’ According to information from the unions, there are already 110 workers prosecuted because of the protests.” (Público.es, July 5, 2012) The most recent raid took place on the night of July 5 and 6, in the town of Pola, that was occupied by the riot cops, who made the air unbreathable with tear gas, shooting bullets and raiding miners’ homes without any warrant.
As of today, the mine workers have been on strike for 36 days, while the walk that began in the coal-mining areas and which will bring more than 200 miners to Madrid, is in its eleventh day. Despite the severity of the repression, this march to Madrid is continuing its course, meeting constant solidarity on the road, in every small town. Buses are also being organized from different communities to Madrid. It is time for the union leaderships to transform the miners’ struggle into a big solidarity strike day throughout the state and break the social peace; it’s time to unify the working class and young people with a plan of struggle and mobilizations, until they defeat the historic attacks and cuts.
No more repression!
Cops out of the coal-mining areas!
Active solidarity and for a policy independent of the employers!
Let us set up support committees in all places of work and study!
The miners’ struggle must end in a new General Strike and a national plan of struggle until the attacks against the workers and the people are defeated!
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It looks like the carrot has been replaced by the stick once again, Capital has taken off the gloves...Posted 10th July 2012 at 06:25 by Workers-Control-Over-Prod 
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