Spain shuts down public TV station as austerity continues to bite

Police escorted by liquidators evicted staff from the public RTVV (Radio Television Valenciana) station in Valencia, Spain, after an austerity order to shut it down was defied by the station workers.

Police raided the RTVV building overnight before starting the evictions. During the night, staff inside went on air to bid a final farewell to viewers.

Staff at the loss-making station continued broadcasting despite the regional Valencia government losing a court battle over staff cuts.

Tension has been high since the closure was announced on 5 November. The regional government had initially tried to sack 1,000 of the station's 1,700 employees, but staff successfully challenged the decision in court.

In response, the regional government shut the broadcaster down entirely, saying it could not afford to reinstate the staff.

This is the first regional TV station to be closed down as austerity continues to bite down on the country. Spain, whose banks were crippled during the financial crisis, has been struggling to improve its public finances.

The conservative Popular Party runs Valencia's government, which is in power nationally in Spain under Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

Critics have dubbed the move as a repeat of Greece's measures, after the Southern European debt-ridden country had shut down the national broadcaster ERT sacking 2,600 staff in the process.