Thousands Protest Austerity in Europe

Workers and unemployed people across Europe are taking to the streets in protest. On Thursday, 30,000 Belgians marched on the nation’s capital as they protested the government’s wage freeze for 2013-2014. Belgian trade unions claim the austerity measures are failing.

Also on Thursday, 1,500 Greek pensioners marched on the Labor Ministry in Athens to voice their discontent over repeated pension cuts. Underemployed construction workers joined the pensioners, complaining that they’ve experienced a dramatic negative shift in the last seven years.

On Thursday, the Greek Statistics Agency published its March unemployment figures: Jobless numbers have increased to 26.8 percent.

Unemployment across the eurozone hit a record 12.2 percent in April. The number of unemployed is on track to reach 20 million by the end of the year.

Rising unemployment is threatening Europe—not only economically, but also politically. As the newest edition of the Trumpet points out, social unrest and political transformation are avoidable when unemployment is low. However, “When it reaches high levels over a sustained period, you suddenly have an army of disenfranchised, angry people. An army primed to embrace extreme political ideologies.”

To understand where these austerity protests will take Europe, read “An Army Waiting for a Leader.”