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Thousands protest health, education cuts in Spain

Tens of thousands of people across Spain protested Sunday against education and health care spending cuts as the country slid into its second recession in three years.

Unemployment is at a eurozone high of 24.4 percent, more than half of Spaniards under 25 years old are jobless, and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s conservative government has introduced stinging austerity measures in its first five months in office.

Speaking at a party rally, Rajoy, who on Friday announced a new set of tax hikes to come into effect next year, said he had “no alternative.” He added, “Spain needs deep structural change, not makeup.”

Protesters in northeastern Barcelona, northern Bilbao, eastern Valencia and many other regional capitals carried banners urging Rajoy to not “mess around with health and education.”

Read More: Europe Seeks to Restore Calm After Spain Downgrade, Growth Spat