[Donna]

Thousands demonstrate in Foxatoria: Protests take aim at coalition talks

Monday, April 13, 2009

FOXATORIA (POFO-N) - Over 15,000 people demonstrated Monday in the nation's capital. The protests took aim at a variety issues surrounding the country's recent election and current coalition talks. Most of the demonstrators were reportedly protesting the SN's fierce campaign against the SLD in recent days, which has ignited controversy and led to some pundits, including PUC-L MP-elect Donald Lieberman, to label the SN offensive as "...utterly inappropriate and despotic."


One of many banners and signs seen at Monday's demonstration

The dispute arose over the weekend when several left-wing members of the SLD resigned or defected from the party. On Sunday SN candidates came out vocally against the SLD, accusing the party of being "Liberal Democrats," and tolerating the prospect of having alleged fascists and racists in a centrist coalition. On Monday several small groups of radical leftists and Marxists were also seen demonstrating against the SLD several kilometers from the main protest.

SLD leader Paradigm has strongly rejected the charges SN candidates have set against his party, stating that potential talks with the nationalist PNL party regarding the potential for a PUC-SLD-PNL coalition government are in an exploratory phase and that the PNL's platform is not as extreme or inflexible as SN members accuse it of being.

Last week talks of a potential coalition between the SLD and SN collapsed amid a strong anti-Leninist reaction within the SLD's ranks, a precursor to Sunday's defections.