Spanish students protest education cutbacks

Tens of thousands of students protested in cities across Spain today, including Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona, against education cuts involving teacher layoffs, & overcrowded & unheated classrooms that require blankets during the winter. Protests were reported as peaceful in most cities but in Barcelona the protest “turned violent” in that magical way they do when riot police attack them with truncheons, tear gas, & rubber bullets. Spanish TV reported protestors setting fires & breaking bank windows. Maybe so, but before they get carried away with allegations, they’d better check to see if the vandals had undercover cop credentials. Some students took refuge from police at the University of Barcelona, denying they started the violence.  Given the evidence from thousands of protests on every continent, who do you believe? (Photo by Daniel Ochoa De Olza/AP)