BERLIN (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of Germans protested yesterday against Germany’s biggest austerity drive since World War Two, adding to pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s increasingly unpopular coalition.
Merkel’s cabinet on Monday unveiled plans for 80 billion euros ($96.30 billion) in budget cuts and taxes over the next four years, but faces a challenge convincing parliament, unions and voters to accept the savings package.
Organisers said between 15,000 and 20,000 people demonstrated in Berlin, in one of the biggest protests against government reform in recent years. Police estimated that up to 10,000 people took part in protests in Stuttgart.
“The crisis is called capitalism”; “Employment, human rights, secure future for everyone” and “Pensions should be enough to live on,“ protesters’ banners read.
