Spanish fishermen step up fuel protests

Spanish fishermen blocked ports and fish markets in several parts of Spain for a second consecutive day today, keeping up protests against fuel prices.

Fishing boats sealed off the ports of Barcelona, Tarragona, Murcia, Castellon, Valencia, Almeria and Alicante while fish workers on land blocked access to markets in each of the towns.

The strike began in just a few ports and has snowballed after talks on Sunday between the government and fishermen’s unions ended in disagreement.

At a meeting held in Madrid yesterday, Spain’s fishermen rejected the government’s subsidy offer.