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Thousands of Protesters Out in Force Against High Fuel

by Rob Walker | June 9, 2008 at 02:46 pm | 89 views | add comment

Thousands upon thousands of people all across Europe have taken to the streets to protest the increasingly high cost of fuel.

Truckers, fishermen and anyone who uses fuel on a regular basis for their employment have been out in force in protests, some of which have become violent.

In Spain, hundreds of truckers blocked access to France and smashed the windshields of anyone who attempted to cross the picket line.

Spanish truck drivers began anindefinite strike over rocketing fuel prices on Monday, smashingwindscreens of vehicles that crossed picket lines.
They were joined by truck drivers in neighbouring Portugalwho also went on strike, while there were also protests acrossthe border in France over the impact of the surge in oil pricesto record highs of over $139 per barrel.

Spaniards fearing fuel shortages queued to fill up at petrol stations. Queues also built up outside some hypermarketsafter truckers warned supermarkets would run out of goods withindays.

Tens of thousands of truckers in Spain, France and Portugal on Monday stepped up protests against rising fuel prices, causing mayhem on highways and blocking border crossings.

Huge tailbacks built up around major cities and on the French-Spanish border as French fishermen in Mediterranean ports ended their three-week strike over the spiralling cost of fuel.

Spain's second largest hauliers' union Fenadismer, which claims to represent 70,000 out of Spain's 380,000 truck drivers, launched an open-ended strike on Monday. It said it was "peaceful" but followed "massively".

In recent days, oil prices topped a record $139 per barrel. As a result, Spanish and Portuguese drivers have started an indefinite strike.

Spanish strikers blocked distribution centers to try to force the government to establish a minimum haulage fee to counteract a 35 percent rise in fuel costs over the past year, reported Reuters.