Leftists, anarchists protest against UEFA Euro 2012 - Poznan

01/21

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A protest leader wears a helmet on which a slogan "bread instead of games" is written.

02/21

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A column of the protesters walk at Saint Martin Avenue, one of the main streets in the Poznan's city center.

03/21

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Both young and old attended the protest. The protesters claim that the pro-rich policies of the current local and national governments harm poor and underprivileged.

04/21

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A samba band plays during the protest.

05/21

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A protester shouts anti-government slogans as the protesters walk through Poznan, one of four Polish host-cities of the UEFA Euro 2012 football championships.

06/21

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"Bread instead of games", says the writing on the protest's leaders helmet.

07/21

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During the protest a local samba bateria orchestra played music. A woman seen on the picture was a conductor of the music group.

08/21

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The demonstration on June 10 was a finale of a few-month-long protest action, including seminars and marches.

09/21

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"First people, then profits", "Bread instead of games", say some of the slogans as the protesters walk through Poznan's city center.

10/21

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The protesters claim that too much money has been spent on stadium and not-necessary infrastructure investments, at the expense of the poorest members of the society.

11/21

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Some protesters wore symbols of the Anonymous protest group, like masks known from "V like Vendetta" movie.

12/21

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The protesters marched through the city center on the day of Ireland-Croatia game. The protest cause some disturbances in traffic, but was largely uneventful.

13/21

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The protesters hold large letters saying "Bread instead of games" on the steps of the Poznan's Opera House.

14/21

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"More flats, less stadiums", "Euro in the city - joy at our expense", say the posters.

15/21

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"Bread instead of games", "We want freedom! -When do we want it? - Now!", were among the chants of the protesters.

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One of the claims of the protesters is that the money could have been better spent on kindergardens, nurseries and other aspects of social policy.

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Although the protesters wanted to gather up to 1000 people, only around 300 attended. The protest started at a park in front of the Poznan Opera House.

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Police anti-conflict team member seen on the left, while the protester on the right holds a sign with the protest's slogan - "Bread instead of games".

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"Private benefits, social costs" - the protesters claim that only wealthy capitalists and UEFA will profit from the championships.

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German left-wing organisation joined the protest to voice their support for the anti-establishment message.

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Approximately 300 attendees, representing anarchist, leftist organisations, as well as trade unions, started the protest in downtown Poznan on the day of the UEFA Euro 2012 game.

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A few hundred people from different leftist, anarchist and trade union organisations protested against the UEFA Euro 2012 football championships in Poznan, one of the four host cities in Poland.

The protesters claim that excessive spending by both national and local governments for the football games hurt the poor, mothers, and unemployed as social spending is reduced. "Bread instead of games", is their main slogan. They also want to protest agains the capitalists who caused the current economic crisis. The protesters appealed to the local government to increase spending on schools, nurseries and health care and claim that millions of euros spent on stadiums and big infrastructural projects are redundant.

The march proceeded from the Poznan Opera House through the city center to finish with a picket in front of the regional council's seat. The date was chosen purposefully on the day of the first Euro 2012 game in Poznan. More than 20 thousand of Croats and nearly 40 thousand of Irish supporters were present in Poznan to watch the evening's game between these two sides, but most of them were mildly interested in the ongoing protests.