Police fire rubber bullets, tear gas at peaceful May Day protesters in Puerto Rico – ThinkProgress
[ad_1] Puerto Ricans clashed with police in the streets of San Juan after protests against austerity measures took a violent turn Tuesday. The demonstration was in protest of proposed cuts to retirement benefits and looser labor laws, as well as school closures and slow hurricane recovery efforts. One woman, Adria Bermudez, told The Associated Press that she was marching to protest the increase of the undergraduate cost per credit from $57 to $115, then to an eventual $157 over five years. She also called for government officials and legislators to reduce their salaries instead of implementing more austerity measures. “The measures are aimed at the middle class and low middle class,” she said. “The rich don’t suffer.” The protests reportedly became violent after hundreds of young protesters tried to enter the Hato Rey neighborhood, San Juan’s banking center. There, according to Bloomberg , helmeted police officers wearing gas masks formed lines to block them from advancing. When...