Spain, firefighters’ protest explodes: flames on police

Anger explodes in Spain. More than two hundred firefighters from Galicia’s regional parks, who have been on strike since June to demand better working conditions and greater safety, demonstrated before the Ourense Provincial Council. There were violent clashes with the police, using riot gear: firefighters even used flames against the police and videos are circulating on the web. The Single Police Union showed solidarity with its colleagues from the Intervention Unit who had the mission of forming a protective cordon for the administration building. Very high tension: during the protest, protesters even used smoke canisters, rockets and fireworks.

“Firefighters from the Diputación de Ourense tried to enter and, when they were blocked, they attacked our colleagues with rockets. It seems incredible that they are the ones resorting to these means”, the union immediately denounced. But what is the reason for the protest? Firefighters have been fighting for a long time to obtain a regional agreement that would improve their working conditions and salaries. In fact, they point out that their salaries are the lowest in the country. Furthermore, discontent is also due to the lack of staff, which forced the partial closure of some posts and drastically reduced service in others, negatively influencing the ability to respond to emergency situations.