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Spanish forest firefighters march to demand rights

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Around 2,000 forest firefighters protested in Madrid on Saturday (8 October) to demand better workers' rights after wildfires decimated tens and thousands of hectares across Europe last year.

Spain's wildfire fighters are not full-time firefighters. They are only employed by the regional authorities to combat major forest fires during the summer.

Protestors used beaters to bang on the ground to demand a "firefighters statute" that would guarantee workplace rights to recognize injuries sustained while working as occupational hazards.

Cristina Perez, 47 years old, said that she is a forest firefighter and demanded justice for being a public service to society. She has been working in Aragon for 18 years.

"We want our government to recognize this and respect the forest firefighters status."

According to August data from the European Union Joint Research Centre, wildfires that raged through Europe this year burned the second largest area ever recorded.

Dozens of European countries, including France, Spain, Italy, and Italy, were affected by major fires that forced thousands to flee their homes and destroyed businesses and homes.

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