MOSCOW, May 15 (RIA Novosti) – One week before European parliamentary elections, activists and social organizations across Western Europe have gathered in a movement against austerity and privatization in the European Days of Action campaign under the common message "We don’t owe, we won’t pay!"
"Together with people in Europe and the whole world we resist the rehabilitation of capitalism on the backs of employees as well as the unemployed, retirees, migrants and the youth," May of Solidarity says in its call for action.
The Solidarity campaign starts on Thursday, on the fourth anniversary of the Spanish 15M movement, a series of countrywide political protests against unemployment, welfare cuts, corruption and the local political system, which saw up to 8 million supporters in total, according to the RTVE broadcaster.
At least 16 European left or radical left movements, organizations, groups and parties in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria, Denmark and Greece plan to take to the streets in solidarity with 15M.
Much of the first day's action takes place in Brussels, which is hosting the European Business Summit on Tuesday and Wednesday. One of the protest participants in Brussels, Corporate Europe Observatory, came to the summit site to criticize Transatlantic Partnership (TTIP), which promotes a free trade agreement between the European Union and the United States, and specifically European Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht.
"The ‘Transatlantic Partnership’ (TTIP) will be at the heart of the debate. Negotiated away from democratic scrutiny, refusing to meet those who oppose it, Karel de Gucht’s ears are open exclusively to big businesses, who see this treaty as an unmissable opportunity to increase their power within the EU. But we won't let them!" the group challenging EU corporate policy said on its website.
According to the movement's Facebook page, several hundred people were detained while protesting the summit on Thursday.
Friday promises to be a major day of demonstrations, marking three years since the signing of the Portuguese Memorandum of Understanding by the Troika, made of the European Commission, International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank. The document outlined financial rescue measures for Portugal during the Eurozone economic crisis.
"The government is publishing proud books on all austerity measure it undertook and announcing victory when it really just kicked the debt can a few months while benefiting from the Draghi effect," the organizers of May of Action say, as they called to challenge campaigning by political parties and unions.
The Debt and Democracy collective in Portugal plans to mark the day by organizing a street debate near the country’s constitutional court.
European voters are set to elect 751 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) between May 22 and May 25 to serve five-year terms.
The EU will elect the next president of the European Commission to succeed José Manuel Barroso this fall.
