Latest News

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

Thousands in Portugal protest austerity measures as government eyes further cuts

By: The Associated Press

Posted: 02/16/2013 11:49 PM | Comments: 0

A demonstrator puts a rope around his neck while getting ready to participate in an anti-austerity protest march in Lisbon Saturday, Feb. 16 2013. The protest was called by CGTP, the Portuguese confederation of workers unions. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

LISBON, Portugal - Several thousand people are protesting in Lisbon against austerity cuts the government says are needed to help Portugal out of recession.

The nation is heading for a third straight year of negative growth, and protesters are worried more pain is heading their way as the government tries to make more savings.

One of Saturday's protesters, 71-year-old Jorge Silva, said the elderly are seeing nearly constant deterioration of their living conditions, including difficulty buying medicine "because they don't have money."

Portugal was the third country, after Greece and Ireland, to fall into the eurozone's financial crisis and required a €78 billion lifeline in May 2011 to avert bankruptcy.

Austerity cuts, particularly to health care services and public education, have triggered many strikes and street protests.

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Latest News

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.