Madrid  - Thousands of Spaniards in Barcelona on Sunday took to the streets to protest mass layoffs and unemployment, in the first such protests against the government of socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero since the onset of the global financial crisis.

Around 15,000 people took part in the protest, according to press reports. Unions that had organized the rally put the number of protesters at 50,000.

In Madrid, meanwhile thousands of police officers took to the streets to demand better pay. Organizers said around 25,000 members of the national police force took part. The Interior Ministry said there were 7,000 participants.

The protesters said they were being paid less than officers from the municipal police and regional police units in Catalonia and the Basque region. The Interior Ministry said it was unable to meet demands as a result of the financial crisis and limited funding. dpa