Thousands take part in anti-austerity protest in Portugal

Thousands of people took to the streets on Friday to protest against the austarity drive of the Portugal government, months before the 2015 general elections.

People waved banners, demanded the government's step down, and flower vendors sold carnations symbolising the flowers protesters placed in the military's guns during the carnation revolution in 1974, overthrowing a dictatorship, Xinhua news agency reported.

"I'm here to represent my class, because I lived (through)the carnation revolution intensely and 41 years later we are worse off than we were," said Jose Rodrigues, 58, a commercial manager.

"We are calling for this government to step down. They are ruining our country," said an 80-year old pensioner named Maria Lusinda.

Austerity has hit public workers hard in the past few years. The unemployment rate stood at 13.5 percent in March in the country.