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Subscribe to RSSMADRID -- Spanish police have arrested five left-wing union activists for their alleged role in a "Robin Hood"-style looting of a supermarket made to highlight the plight of people suffering through the country's recession, authorities said Friday.
The southern Andalusian Workers' Union made news Tuesday when a handful of its activists made off with nine trolleys full of food from a supermarket in the southern town of Ecija and left without paying. They later handed the food to poor unemployed people.
A police statement said one person was arrested during an eviction Friday of members of the union who were squatting on Defense Ministry land to protest its abandonment and demanding it be handed over to hard-pressed farmers.
Two others were arrested elsewhere Friday, and two on Thursday.
Complete international coverage on NBCNews.com
Spain is in the midst of its worst financial crisis in recent memory. Conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government has pursued severe austerity measures, including deep spending cuts and tax hikes.
Street protests by public workers, students, unions and other groups have become commonplace across the country, according to reports.
NBC News' staff and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
Trolleys? Love it.
To stay on the Medieval theme they should be beheaded in public and the straw baskets be given to the relatives........
Wow, AirHead. I could not even respond to your stupid comment before it was deleted. I guess you have your answer. Congrats on your post!
You'd think that after all these references to Robin Hood they'd at least have the brains to understand what they are claiming. There is nothing in this story that remotely resembles Robin Hood. If you remember the story, Robin took the money from the government that stole the money from the people in the name of taxes. These robbers didn't steal anything back from the government. It's also why libs idea of embracing Robin Hood as their own is absurd. The dems stand for bigger government and more oppression and intrusion into our lives, just like the Sheriff on Nottingham, not Robin Hood.
If by "intrusion" you mean "regulation" you're damn right we stand for that!
Yep, "regulate" those folks to NOT TO WORK to receive those Social Welfare checks.
Great going, Democrats......oooops.....Obama administration.
hey i agree. And regulate bankers to go to jail for their illegal activities.
We don't have Big Government anymore. Haven't you noticed? I guess they hoped you wouldn't. We sold the government via Citizens United to Corporations. "Private corporations" who don't care what the countries name is...China, America, India, Spain. Just if they work in it cheap and make Record Profits and keep the people powerless to survive in RECESSION. Corporate is not in recession. They are not working honestly. They are not more deserving.
Mike - Holder just announced they won't be going after Goldman Sachs criminally for the 2008 financial debacle. I wonder why. Could it possibly be that it is an election year and Obama needs the donations from Goldman Sachs for his campaign? Oh no. It wouldn't be anything that depsicable would it?
Liberals fail to understand that corrupt bureaucrats with too much power will sell themselves to the highest bidder (i.e. banks and mega corporations). That's one major reason why regulations fail and free markets succeed. It's common sense when you think about it, but they aren't called libtards for nothing.
What EVERYONE fails to understand is that if our government is too Liberal...it doesn't work. If it too Conservative...it doesn't work. So quit all the darn name calling and blaming and compromise. Thats why we have two sides. To compromise. Not to compete like it's the Superbowl. Nobody wins if nobody accepts responsibility.
But yet no bank CEO has been arrested for all the billions looted.
Thank you.
Speaking of looting - isn't that what our president is doing?
Food Stamp recipients: now 1 in 7
Welfare recipients: now 1 in 4
If we are against "Robin Hood" type theft then we REALLY need to get rid of our current president.........
Actually that's what every President does. Someone has to be looted, that's the name of the game in this country. And I'm sure your stats have nothing to do with the recession he inherited from the previous administration. How about the billions looted to fight a fruitless never ending war?
Mike then tell me - why isn't Goldman Sachs, Obama's biggest Wall Street buddy, not being prosecuted? Are you really so in the tank for Obama that you can't see the truth?
Screw you MOMINNJ when did I ever make an Obama comment you moron. I just said CEO's should be held accountable. Can you read English?? We can go on and on about lobbying in this country but trust me, I'm on your side, fry those Goldman Sachs bastards! That's why we need more regulatory LAWS on the books so lobbyists can't circumvent criminal prosecution by buying of politicians. You think Obama was the first politician to get bought? Idiot. Oh no but wait, let's just run a country with free market capatalism, let those a-holes do whatever they want with no oversight and then just bill the taxpayers when they F up. That's the conservative way.
Here we have Romney Hood, he steals from the poor and gives to the rich.
Not quite... he steals from anybody who isn't rich and gives to the rich. There are still some in the middle, for now.
Flip side....Obamanomics "steals" from those who make a living and give to those who seek "Obama Bucks":
The reason people are complaining is because there is a double standard when it comes to the law.
There was a story up here last night about how the Justice Department was not pursuing action against the people who crashed the economy and broke pretty much every financial regulation in the book (setting for $550 million out of court), but they'll throw the common man in jail almost instantly. They'll do the same to you.
I don't care how much people make, but if they start using their profits to set up a system that favors them and sh!ts on the rest, that's when I have a problem. So keep defending them and pretending they're looking out for your best interests. I'm sure they'll make an exception for you.
Speaking of looting - isn't that what our president is doing?
Food Stamp recipients: now 1 in 7
Welfare recipients: now 1 in 4
If we are against "Robin Hood" type theft then we REALLY need to get rid of our current president.........
What does he steal from the poor?
Steals their dignity, sense of self worth, hope, a fair chance, Human Rights, choice.
Dignity is handed over freely for a few shillings. The state lottery steals from the poor but where are the protests for that?
When you give control of your life to others you give away your own dignity. Whether you give it to the the D's or R's, neither is looking out for you, they only look to coddle favors with their own.
See, this is why I am kinda hoping Romney wins the presidency and has BOTH houses of Congress in his corner for the first 2 years of his term. That's plenty of time for him to undo all of what Obama has done and to deregulate corporations enough to effectively do away with Big Business's main argument that they are fearful of MORE regulations and taxes keeping them from creating jobs.
After 2 years, and the jobs that are available pay minimum wage, yet demand at least a 4-yr college degree, the uproar will be thunderous and swift! It will be obvious to even the most stubborn conservative that corporate greed is insatiable....that the more you feed it, the bigger it gets. There's never going to be a point where businesses will create jobs that build things or offer services when there is no demand for those goods or services. No demand because there's no money being spent by the masses. Why? Because they cannot afford it. When will corporations get it....get the idea that supply-side economics is flawed? Here's an idea....pay employees a living wage. Create jobs that pay a living wage! Wow....what a concept!! What? We pay employees a decent salary, and all of the sudden, we begin selling stuff?? Hey, why didn't we think of that before??
Just 2 years under Windsock Romney, Boner and McKochSucker....and we'll be on the right path, right? Yeah, we'll be on a path, alright.....to utter destruction.
Devil's Advocate...I scream this at the tv screen every night! Just F it....take over and wreck the joint. Then maybe we can learn our lesson and truly rebuild America.
Coming to a country near you ...The road to serfdom!! This is what you get when gov't is in the driver's seat and special interests groups get to lobby the gov't to artificially manipulate the laws to creat legalized plunder and tax payer backed bailouts and "loans."
Thumbs up to the Spanish Robin Hoods.
Their trolleys full of food were given to the unemployed and poor!!!
The supermarket prices are so marked up they hardly felt the loss.
The Spainish people are under severe Conservative austerity measures, in part to make sure the rich stay rich...no matter how hard the people work. Safety nets are gone..like what Conservatives want here also. Spain is a bad example for us to follow.
We don't have Government in America anymore. It was sold to Corporate and they will do the same to us here, because its all about their profit. Record profits for them plus bonuses and outrageous salaries but Recession and austerity for all the rest of the people. Rich does not mean more deserving. not by a long shot. Do you think the Corporate Government is acting with ethics? Do you think they keep any of us in mind when they legislate? Big oil does not want to give us jobs. They want subsidies and to make profit! Same with Big Pharma, and Mega Business Agriculture. To vote for Mitt is to vote for KochBros and Corporate for Pres. To vote for Obama is to vote for Bankers for Pres. We really do need to speak up and we have no one Responsible to help. Not TP, which is the worst, not Republicans, not Democrats.
Take a good look at Spain and not follow their conservative fascist example.
First off Robin Hood did not just steal from the government, he stole from the rich. What I want to see is the banks and corporations go to jail for looting our world economy which led to this finical disaster we are in.
Maybe these guys should come work for the Obama administration. Seems they already have a working understanding of forcefully taking something that doesn't belong to them and redistributing it
Had they Stolen from the POOR and GAVE TO THE RICH..They would have recieved Millions in Bonus Money!!!!
Mike: You really like the idea of the President imposing by regulation what Congress refuses to impose by law? Or what the Courts say he doesn't have the authority to do? Glad to know you are in favor of tyranny. You like the idea that the President can impose socialism on everyone? Can ignore laws passed by Congress? Orders decreed by Courts? Tell me you'd feel the same if it was a republican president! To bad you hate the United States!
Funny thing is it's the policies of the Left that got them into the position that they are in. Same thing is going to happen here if we don't stop the legalized plunder. It stuns me that so many people still don't get it.