European workers stage austerity protests
Protesters clash with police in Lisbon, Athens and Madrid, while workers march in Brussels, Rome and Marseille
Workers across the European Union have staged a series of protests and strikes against rising unemployment and austerity measures.
General strikes in Spain and Portugal halted transport and closed businesses and schools. Police and protesters clashed in several Spanish cities.
Rallies took place in 23 countries including Greece, France and Belgium, union officials told the BBC.
Hundreds of flights to and from striking nations were cancelled.
Airlines recommended that passengers check schedules before setting out to airports.
British Airways and Easyjet were among the UK carriers forced to cancel some of their services.
The European Trade Union Confederation has co-ordinated the Europe-wide action.
The confederation's Judith Kirton-Darling told the BBC that austerity was not working.
"It's increasing inequalities, it's increasing the social instability in society and it's not resolving the economic crisis," she said.
Some 40 groups from 23 countries were involved in Wednesday's demonstrations.
'No work'
Unions in Spain and Portugal started strikes at midnight to protest against austerity measures that have combined tax rises with cuts in salaries, pensions, benefits and social services.
Marchers came out late on Tuesday in Spain, where 25% are unemployed, the highest rate in Europe.
"I have two sons in my house. One is getting subsidies, the other has been at home for the last three years," said protesting housewife Paqui Olmo.
"It is not that he doesn't want to work, there is just no work."
Picketers and police fought at a Madrid bus depot where demonstrators were trying to stop buses from leaving.
There were outbreaks of violence in other Spanish cities, and the interior ministry said more than 80 arrests had been made across the country. Dozens of people, including 18 police, were injured.
The government has played down the strike, saying the electricity grid registered 80% of its normal usage.
But unions claimed the operations of several large companies, including Danone and Heineken, ground to a halt.
In neighbouring Portugal, demonstrators took to the streets, carrying banners denouncing the European Union, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Central Bank (ECB).
The so-called troika has bailed out Portugal to the tune of 78bn euros ($100bn; £62bn), and demanded deep austerity measures in return.
The unemployment rate has hit a record 15.8%, according to figures released on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho acknowledged the rise was "bad news" but had been expected.
"We know that the unemployment level will increase a bit further before we observe a decline," he said.
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The BBC's Chris Morris in Lisbon said public transport had come to a virtual standstill, and many schools and public offices were expected to be closed.
In Italy, unions called for a series of rolling four-hour strikes through the day which were expected to affect road, rail and air transport.
Correspondents said early signs were that the impact had been fairly limited. Riot police in Rome fired tear gas at protesters who hurled objects towards officers.
In Greece, the strike action is the third major walkout in two months.
Successive governments have been pushing through deeply unpopular spending cuts and tax rises in order to receive bailout payments from the IMF and EU.
Earlier this week, MPs backed a fifth austerity package of salary and pension cuts and labour market reforms, as well as a stringent budget for next year.
The IMF and EU had demanded the measures in return for the next 31.5bn-euro instalment of the bailout.
The government, which is being forced into short-term financing in the bond markets, says it needs the bailout to avoid bankruptcy.
Athens police said they expected about 10,000 people to protest, which is a relatively small demonstration by Greek standards.
Budget airline EasyJet said it had rescheduled flights to and from Greece on Wednesday because of the strikes.
Police and protesting workers clashed in several Spanish cities
In France, five trade unions organised marches in more than 100 cities but did not call for a strike, Reuters news agency reported.
Analysts say the marches are a way of showing that workers in France are in solidarity with their fellow-workers elsewhere in Europe.
In Belgium, protesters rallied in Brussels outside the embassies of Germany, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal and the Republic of Ireland. They delivered a letter to Laszlo Andor, the commissioner for employment, social Affairs and inclusion, congratulating him on winning what they are calling the "Nobel Prize for Austerity", the BBC's Maddy Savage, in Brussels, reports.
Union walkouts have severely affected many of the high-speed rail links regularly frequented by politicians, advisors and diplomats from across the EU, our correspondent added.
Eurostar and Thalys, which connect Brussels to London and Paris, have been particularly hit, warning of delays or cancellations and advising passengers not to travel on Wednesday.
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