European Fishermen Strike Over Rising Fuel Price

31 May 2008
Thousands of fishermen are striking in Europe over the rising cost of fuel. The movement began a few weeks ago in France as fishermen on the Atlantic coast refused to work. They say they can't afford to run  their boats.

Today an estimated 10,000 people staged a demonstration in Madrid, handing out 20 tonnes of free fish on the doorstep of the Spanish agriculture ministry to try to garner popular support.

Boats remained docked in harbours across Spain, Portugal, France and Italy as the strike escalated.

Arriving in Madrid in a fleet of 150 buses, the strikers hoped to pressure the Socialist government to help the European Union's biggest fishing fleet.

The protests spread to Belgium and Italy. In Brussels yesterday, about 50 Belgian fishermen protested with flares and banners outside the EU headquarters. In Italy, about 12,000 fishermen, one-third of the country's fleet, took part in a national strike.

French fishing fleets have blockaded ports for the past two weeks. French farmers and lorry drivers have joined fuel protests, blocking two oil depots and staging a go-slow on a major road to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.

The protests came as representatives from the fishing industry across Europe met for talks on how to tackle the growing crisis. Fishermen are demanding the relaxation of EU quotas on how much they can fish to offset fuel-related operating costs.

Angry strikers in Spain shouted "Liar Zapatero" and "SOS sunk", throwing smoke bombs and blowing whistles outside the ministry.

The Spanish Fishing Confederation (Cepesca) has called an indefinite strike, demanding government action to bring down fuel prices, introduce tax breaks and restrict imports of cheaper fish from Africa and Latin America.

Cepesca claims fuel prices have risen by 320% in Spain in the past five years, representing 50%-60% of operating costs. But it says the price of fish has not risen in the past 5 years.

The Spanish finance minister is currently examining ways to help the fishermen, but has ruled out any tax breaks.

Meanwhile, at the demonstration in Madrid, dozens of people, mostly pensioners, pushed and shoved each other to get to trucks giving away bags of fish.