Huff Post - ALAN CLENDENNING, AP, 9/25/12
MADRID — Spain's government was hit hard by the country's financial crisis on multiple fronts Tuesday as protestors enraged with austerity cutbacks and tax hikes clashed with police near Parliament, a separatist-minded region set elections seen as an independence referendum and the nation's high borrowing costs rose again
Police guard the entrance of the Spanish parliament in Madrid, Tuesday Sept. 25, 2012, before some thousands of people are expected to converge on the Spanish Parliament to protest and to demand fresh elections. (AP Photo/Paul White)
More than 1,000 riot police blocked off access to the Parliament building in the heart of Madrid, forcing most protesters to crowd nearby avenues and shutting down traffic at the height of the evening rush hour.