Protests in favor of a higher increase of pensions

Thousands of people took to the streets on Saturday morning to demand a higher rise of pensions. Demonstrations took place not only in a number of cities in Catalonia, but across Spain as a whole. On December 29, 2017 the Spanish government announced a 0.25% increase of all pensions in Spain for this year, with prices having risen between 1.1 and 1.2% in the past twelve months, according to the consumer prices index. This means a loss of purchasing power for pensioners, and that is why rallies across the country were being held on Saturday.

In Barcelona, a march whose motto was ‘Defend today’s and tomorrow’s pensions’ gathered thousands of people and moved towards the seat of the Spanish government’s delegation in the city. ‘Pensions will always be ours’ and ‘We want the Bourbon’s father pension,’ were among the chants heard at the event, the last one referring to former King Juan Carlos. Other Catalan towns holding similar marches included Girona, Lleida, Tarragona and Vilanova i la Geltrú.