Puerto Ricans held protests in seven U.S. cities Wednesday demanding an end to austerity measures that have devastated the island territory’s economy. The protests came as a federally appointed oversight control board pressed for sharp cuts to public spending and a strategy to pay the island’s debt to bondholders. In New York, protesters rallied outside the offices of Santander Bank, charging its executives profited from predatory loans and bonds sold to Puerto Rico.

David Galarza: “My name is David Galarza, and I’m with the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. And today we’re here with a bunch of people representing all different sectors to hold Santander, this bank, and other banks like it responsible for the economic crisis affecting Puerto Rico. Today is also the day that we commemorate the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico. And what Santander and other banks like it and the fiscal control board that’s been imposed on Puerto Rico by the U.S. government, what they are basically doing with this fiscal control board and these transactions that banks like Santander have created in Puerto Rico is another form of slavery, just as diabolical and just as damaging to the people in Puerto Rico.”