With thousands joining the striking miners in Madrid on Wednesday the austerity protests have now reached London.

At 6pm today (Thursday) protesters will be demonstrating outside the Spanish Embassy on Chesham Place, SW1, to show solidarity with the miners and others who protested the Spanish government's harsh austerity measures. 

A statement from the organisers of the London demonstration explains:

We had enough of cuts. Enough of blaming us for their mess. Enough of their con. Is time to take back the streets.

Austerity measures in Spain, as in many other European countries, have had a profound impact on many public sector industries and those that receive government subsidies. In Spain the miners have been hit especially hard with a 63% cut to funding which will leave 38,000 people out of work. 

Miners across Spain have been on strike for over a month with many marching as far as 400km to attend the Madrid protest on Wednesday.