Huge protests over 'Prestige' oil pollution

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators, many wearing white protective overalls and spattered with black oil, marched through Madrid yesterday in protest against the Spanish government's mishandling of the Prestige disaster.

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators, many wearing white protective overalls and spattered with black oil, marched through Madrid yesterday in protest against the Spanish government's mishandling of the Prestige disaster.

The lively demonstration was called by the movement Nunca Mais (Never Again) that arose after the tanker sank in November and spewed thousands of tons of fuel oil on to Galicia's northwestern shore. Hundreds of coaches travelled all night to bring Gallegos and their blue-and-black flags to the capital.

"The government lied to us about the damage caused by the Prestige, then failed to act until too late," said Xavier Blanco, 39, from Corunna, accompanied by teenagers from a youth group who had black tears painted on their faces. "It's still leaking; it's a timebomb because the hull will corrode and release all the fuel," said Santiago Andrade, 64, a fisherman from Vigo.