Day of protests: Truckers and taxis rally against soaring fuel prices

The rising costs of energy, including fuel, is resulting in increasingly large demonstrations in the Barcelona area by sectors particularly affected.

On Wednesday, several protests coincided as truck drivers continue their indefinite strike for the tenth consecutive day, while taxi drivers performed a slow drive protest in the morning.

From around 9 am, several trucks halted traffic on Ronda Litoral, the Catalan capital's ring road running along the sea, near the Zona Franca industrial area.

Truckers also blocked access to the port in the early morning, repeating their action on Tuesday.

The ongoing strike is called by an entity called Platform in Defense of the Transport Sector, with other associations such as Fenadismer backing it.

In parallel, taxi drivers began a slow drive from Barcelona airport at 9 am, and they are expected to finish outside the Catalan parliament, in the heart of the city, at noon or early afternoon, causing heavier road traffic than usual.

Once at the chamber, taxi representatives will meet with parliamentary groups.

In the afternoon, other rallies took place at Barcelona's Plaça Urquinaona, as well as in Girona outside the Spanish government delegation's seat, Lleida at Plaça de la Pau, and Tarragona at Estàtua dels Despullats. Around a thousand people attended the march in the Catalan capital. 

Backed by major unions UGT and CCOO, as well as other work associations CTAC and UATAE, neighbors' platform CONFAVC, and social groups Drets and Justícia Social, the demonstrations carry the motto 'Let's put the brake on rising prices and prevent poverty.'

"In the unions, we know that the widespread policy of lowering taxes is not the solution," Javier Pacheco of CCOO said in Barcelona, adding that fairer taxation rates were necessary to help those who are suffering as a result of increased inflation and energy costs, especially pronounced following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.  

Demonstrators called for both Catalan and Spanish authorities to step in to counter the effects these price hikes are having on families, workers, and SMEs.