Spanish protesters throng streets over soaring prices

Thousands of people have taken to the streets across Spain, staging anti-government protests triggered by soaring prices.

Spaniards hit the streets in Spain's main cities on Saturday in protest at the soaring cost of food, lighting and fuel in the country.

Protesters gathered by the far-right Vox party outside the City Hall in Madrid, waving hundreds of Spanish flags, chanting anti-government slogans and calling for the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

The protesters chanted "Long live Spain!" and "Sanchez, you're rubbish, bring down our bills!"

Addressing the cheering crowd at the rally, Vox leader Santiago Abascal said, "We have the worst possible government ... which plunders and extorts workers through abusive taxes."

Abascal told the protesters that they will not stop the street protests "until this illegitimate government is expelled."

Spain's main right-wing opposition Popular Party (PP) has also demanded the government immediately lower taxes.

"Taxes must be lowered at once," said incoming PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo on Saturday.

Spaniards believe the government should be lowering taxes to help those struggling.

"A country that raises prices in this way and doesn't help its citizens by partially lowering taxes, is abandoning its people," said Francisco, 53, who is unemployed and didn't give his family name. "We have to force the government to act -- or remove them, for Spain's sake."

Meanwhile, Spain's Minister of Presidency Felix Bolanos said the government would unveil its plan to reduce the cost of energy and fuel on March 29.

He said the far-right opposition groups were seeking to exacerbate the already difficult economic situation to suit their political agenda. "The far-right is always stirring up problems and complicating things, no matter how difficult they are... They are not patriots they are troublemakers," he told Spain's public television.

Meanwhile, Spanish truck drivers declared an open-ended strike over fuel prices on Monday.

Rising prices have also prompted Spain's two biggest workers' unions the UGT and the CCOO to call a national strike on March 23.

The unprecedented price hike in the country has been attributed to the rattling in the energy market triggered by the Ukraine conflict.

Ukraine crisis rattles energy markets

The war between Russia and Ukraine has pushed energy prices to unprecedented levels.

Currently, Sanchez is on a European tour to lobby support for a common EU response to soaring energy prices.

Sanchez is urging other European leaders to change the mechanism which couples electricity prices to the gas market.

In related news, Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi hosted a meeting in Rome on Friday with Sanchez and his Portuguese counterpart, and (via video link) the Greek leader, to discuss a united European response to the energy crisis intensified by the standoff with Russia.

"Europe reacted united to the invasion. Now it must find the same determination and unity" on energy, the Italian premier said. 

"The invasion of Ukraine by Russia opened up a period of strong volatility for the markets for raw materials, gas and oil," Draghi said.

"We must intervene right away. We (the four leaders) all have the impression that something substantial, significant must be done right away" by all EU members, he insisted.

Since Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine last month, fears of disruptions to major gas supply from Russia have increased fuel prices, prompting EU members to pursue new supplies of energy from the Persian Gulf.

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