For nearly two weeks now, striking miners in the two provinces have fought pitched battles with Spanish police and the Civil Guard in a militant protest that increasingly resembles recent events in Greece - or the Arab world.
The strikers have erected barricades made from burning tyres. Since 29 May, five miners have sealed themselves 500 metres underground at a mine in Aller. On various occasions, trains have been forced to stop because tree trunks were laid across railway lines.
The Civil Guard have used tear gas, batons and rubber bullets, none of which have succeeded in cooling the strikers' ardour. Asturian miners are not generally cowed by such tactics, and pickets have responded with stones and bottle rockets.
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60% cuts in subsidies PP spanish miners mine spain conservative government strike Santa Cruz del Sil northern Spain eurozone debt volatility banks austerity cuts coal subsidies job losses Asturia province authorities police guardia civil deployed rubber bullets tear gas 1934 revolt by asturias miners struggle workers risk solidarity communities guerrilla activism attacks blockading motorways setting hoc barricades transport networks fought back EU rocket launcher militant disruptive blockades are a common tactic socialists party europe Pozo Santiago mine
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- Spanish Miners Closing the Road at Pozo Santiago
