Europe fuel protests spread wider

Fuel protests triggered by rising oil prices have spread to more countries across Europe, with thousands of fishermen on strike.

Union leaders said Portugal's entire coastal fleet stayed in port on Friday, while in Spain, 7,000 fishermen held protests at the agriculture ministry.

French fishermen have been protesting for weeks, with Belgian and Italian colleagues also involved.

UK and Dutch lorry drivers held similar protests earlier this week.

The strike reflects anger at the rising cost of fuel, with oil prices above $130 (83.40 euros; £65.80) a barrel.

Trade unions say the cost of diesel has become prohibitively high, after rising 300% over the past five years.

Wholesale fish prices, meanwhile, have been static for 20 years.

Map showing countries involved in protest

Fishermen's leaders from France, Spain and Italy have been meeting in Paris to co-ordinate strikes and protests over the next three weeks in the run-up to a European Union fisheries ministers' meeting.

The protesters are calling for direct immediate aid for the fisheries industry, coupled with increased subsidies.

The European Commission said in a statement it was willing to show flexibility towards the industry but it has ruled out subsidies to offset rising fuel costs.

Short-term aid packages were acceptable as long as they were used to address structural deficiencies in the fleets, it said.

'Ruin for fishermen'

Several thousand fishermen marched on the agriculture ministry in Madrid, where they handed out 20 tonnes of fresh fish to members of the public in an attempt to draw attention to their ailing industry.

Many blew whistles and klaxons, and let off firecrackers producing red smoke.

We must mobilise like the French and if we have to block ports, we'll block them Xavier Aboy, union leader Rising fuel prices: European viewsQ&A: Record oil prices

The BBC's Steve Kingstone at the protest said he could see flags from Catalonia, the Basque country and Galicia.

One banner read: "Soaring diesel plus cheap fish equals ruin for fishermen." Another chided Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero: "You are sending us to the cemetery."

One union leader in Barcelona said the country's fishing fleet was at a standstill.

"Compliance is total. The entire Spanish coast is at a halt," Jose Caparros told AFP news agency.

The unions also say they could blockade ports, a day after French police forcibly removed fishermen blocking oil depots.

"We must mobilise like the French and if we have to block ports, we'll block them," Xavier Aboy, a union leader in Galicia, told AFP.

In France the authorities have offered 100m euros in aid, prompting some fishermen to return to work.

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Fishermen gather in Spain's capital Madrid

At dawn on Thursday, French riot police cleared protesters from the Mediterranean oil depots of Fos-sur-Mer and Lavera, and a Total refinery at La Mede in the south.

On the same day police clashed with fishermen who burned tyres in the Atlantic port of Lorient, while hundreds protested in Quimper, Brittany.

On Friday, protesters blockaded the Channel port of Le Havre.

Hundreds of farmers have also been blocking oil terminals near the cities of Dijon and Toulouse.

In Italy, at least 5,000 fishermen are expected to strike, the main trade union Federcoopesca says. The government has already refused emergency aid to the industry.

But the BBC's David Willey in Rome says many fishermen are adopting a wait-and-see policy as talks with the government continue, and in the Adriatic ports the response to the strike has been mixed.

"No boats went out" in Portugal, a union leader there said, and in the central port of Peniche boat owners set up a barrier to prevent unloading.

Bulgarian bus drivers are also planning a one-hour strike on Friday, following protests by lorry drivers on Wednesday.

FISHERMEN'S PROTESTS France: Many returning to work after several weeks of action after government offers 100m euro aid packageSpain: Thousands taking part in Madrid protestItaly: 5,000 expected to strike, emergency aid refusedPortugal: Indefinite strike from midnight (2300 GMT on Thursday)Belgium: Dozens demonstrating in the capital Brussels

LONDON, England (CNN) -- The shaky video shows Icelandic police repelling protestors with riot shields and batons.

A viewer iReport shows police in Reyjkavik, Iceland clashing with truck drivers protesting the high cost of fuel.

Behind the police barricade, someone sprays a can of fluid onto the crowd. It's not clear whether it's CS Gas, but a short time later some protestors are seen rubbing their eyes.

The video was shot on Wednesday morning in Reykjavik, Iceland by retired truck driver Halldor Sigurgson and submitted to CNN's iReport. watch the iReport

"This is the first time in a long time we have seen in Iceland violence against protestors," Halldor Sigurgson told CNN, adding "we are not used to violence against groups of people at all."

The group of people in this case is truck drivers who have been blocking major roads in the Icelandic capital to protest against the rising cost of fuel. They're also objecting to EU regulations on how long they can drive without resting.

Earlier this month, nearly 300 cars, trucks, vans and jeeps sounded their support for the truck drivers' campaign by beeping their horns as they passed Iceland's national parliament, Althingi.

Currently, almost half the cost of a tank of gas in Iceland is made up of government taxes, including a value-added tax and a special tax on fuel.

While local taxes haven't increased, the rising cost of crude on world oil markets is driving prices higher. A sharp decline in the Icelandic krona is also adding to the cost of imported fuel.

Protestors are calling on the government to reduce taxes to ease the burden on local motorists.

Like many Icelanders, Thrandur Arnthorsson is wedded to his 4x4. In his spare time the software project manager runs a Web site dedicated to off-roading. Recently, he has noticed it is becoming more expensive to fill his tank.

"Yesterday I filled it up for 12,000 kronas," Thrandur Arnthorsson says. That is about $161.

"It has risen with the fall of the krona against other currencies and the rising price of oil at the same time so people are frustrated about how high the taxes are on fuel."

The discontent over high fuel prices is being exacerbated by a sharp decline in Iceland's economy.

The Central Bank of Iceland has hiked interest rates to 15.5 percent to staunch a steep slide in the Icelandic krona. Inflation is nearing 10 percent and, after years of impressive growth, the country's economy is forecast to expand just one percent this year.

Iceland's biggest banks -- Kaupthing, Glitnir and Landsbanki -- have been borrowing from abroad to finance their international expansion making them particularly vulnerable to the global credit crunch.

In a recent interview with CNN's Principal Voices, Iceland President Olafur Grimsson said he's relatively calm about the country's current economic challenges.

"While I'm concerned I'm both relaxed and optimistic because fundamentally the Icelandic economy is very strong," he said.

He says the present fluctuations were created by the "extraordinary" growth of the Iceland banking sector coupled with difficulties in global financial systems.

It's interesting when you look at the international discussions about Iceland," Grimsson said.

"The more knowledgeable people are about Iceland the less alarmist they are about looking at our present situation."

For truck drivers, the present situation of high fuel costs is all too real.

Halldor Sigurgson says the majority of Icelanders support the recent protests. "I stand by them because I was on it this morning," he told CNN. "I went out there to take photos and video. There is a lot of public support for them here in Iceland."