Protestors clash with police in Madrid

POLICE have detained 15 demonstrators after protests turned violent outside the parliament building in Madrid.

Around 1,000 protestors gathered on the streets of the capital to call for the government to step down.

The violence erupted when demonstrators pulled down barriers between them and the chambers.

Police charged the protesters with batons and shot blanks in the air while the demonstrators threw bottles and rocks.

Some 1,400 police had been deployed in anticipation of trouble and politicians cancelled the session for the day. It is thought that at least 14 people were injured in the clashes. The demonstration follows the release of official figures showing the country’s unemployment rate has hit a record high.

The number of people without jobs has topped the six million mark for the first time, with the unemployment rate soaring to 27.2%.

The government has launched a raft of financial and labour reforms to reduce the swollen deficit, and has pursued a series of spending cuts and tax increases.

But in 2012, Spain still had the highest budget deficit among the 17 European Union countries that use the euro, with critics blaming the government for stifling economic growth.