Fruit growers strike

On one of the last days we were in Caceres, the Spanish Fruit Growers staged a strike in the main plaza. Their complaint was that they were recieving too little money from the government for their fruits and vegetables. And the large companies that were buying the food from the goverment were selling it at a profit that was way more than the growers were getting in the first place. From what I understood, their claims were very legitimate.

The way they staged their strike, however, was really interesting. For one day, The Growers brought all the fruit and vegetables they could down to the plaza and created a mosaic that spanned the plaza, as well as the courtyard in the Old City. They kept them on display for one day. The next day, they sold everything from the mosaics at the prices that they receive from the Spanish government. This way, the growers got the word out on just how badly the government was stiffing them. They still got paid the same amount, but they generated awareness and proved to the government that they could get just as much, if not more money from the average citizen for their food.

I've never seen anything like this. See the pictures below for a better idea:





This is a tent The Growers set up on the far side of the plaza. Here, people could sign petitions stating that they support the strike and protest the menial pay The Growers were receiving.


Here is a ground shot of the largest mosaic. The tent is behind me.

Below: A close-up of a corner. Delicious!

Beside the St. Mary's Cathedral in the Old City. If you look closely, you can see this is a map of Europe. Clever, eh?

A shot of the plaza from the Old City. Truly spectacular!