MADRID (AFP)--Spanish fishermen said Friday they will demonstrate in Madrid next week and could strike from June if the government doesn't come up with aid to cushion rising fuel prices. Their leaders have called for a protest on May 30 outside the fisheries ministry, Jose Antonio Suarez, a fishing company boss from Vigo, northwest Spain, told AFP. "If there is no response from the government we plan to keep the fleet in port during the month of June," he said, while no port blockades were envisaged for the time being. "We are asking for similar measures to those taken in France, with reductions in charges or taxes," he said, adding that Vigo, Spain's largest fishing port employing 25,000 people, was hard hit. May 30 is also the date Portuguese fishermen plan to go on strike like their French counterparts in protest at the high price of fuel for their boats unless the government helps them. In France fishermen on Friday disrupted shipping in the Dover Strait and blocked access to a Total SA (TOT) oil refinery, saying government pledges to unlock aid weren't enough and ignoring calls by their leaders to return to work. Hundreds of Belgian fishermen also staged a demonstration in Zeebrugge, the country's main fishing port, and warned that more action might come if their demands weren't taken into account.
Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (3,90%), Salariés (3,60%), dont FCPE Total Actionnariat (2,76%), Compagnie Nationale à Portefeuille (1,40%), Areva (0,30%),...