Protesting Austerity
In 2011, the Portuguese government accepted a €78bn bailout from the European Central Bank, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund (the "Troika"). The conditions set by the Troika proved onerous enough, while the right-wing coalition government introduced measures that went further than required. New taxes were introduced, wages were cut, jobs were lost, working hours were increased and employment protections torn up, leading to a series of demonstrations like this one on 29 September 2012, the March Against Unemployment that was organised by the national trade union federation.
