On many occasions the miners have fought behind barricades, sticks of dynamite in hand, as troops besieged the mines.
So satisfied were the authorities that 4,000 miners left by train for other parts of Asturias and Spain to fight in the growing conflict.
One miner had fought his way forward to the edge of the stage.
It is estimated that 46 out of 176 British coal mines are currently active as miners fight government plans to close 20 coalmines across Britain.
The miners had fought continuously since 1909 for decent working conditions, an eight hour day and a living wage.
The miners, however, were fighting not just for high wages but for a way of life that had to be subsidized by other workers.
In the current strike, the union is battling to hold on to its remaining power, and the miners are fighting for the remaining jobs.
The Asturian miners practice a scorched earth policy, and from the ruins of their houses often fight to the death with dynamite charges.
The miners had been fighting with the police, themselves protecting pit men from another town who had come to work in the mine.
The miners fought back, and, in all, more than seventy-five people.