Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Spanish youths take back the streets after police crackdown.

Barcelona - Plaça Catalunya
Thousands of Spaniards have taken over the streets again in Madrid and other towns today after a police assault yesterday temporarily removed the permanent camp in the Puerta del Sol.  Hours later the camp was re-established.

And not just in Madrid, other camps have been established through the state. The information is relatively confuse but camps have been called at least for Seville, Barcelona, Malaga, Bilbao, Santander, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Palma de Mallorca, Zaragoza, Donostia and the embassies of Spain in London, Ankara and Reykjavik. A concentration at Granada has been disbanded by police (video) using this time low violence methods.

It is notable that the protest has extended even if shyly to the Basque Country[es], normally indifferent to what happens in Spain (true that normally not much happens in fact), and with the population very scared by the police, which does not doubt to use extreme violence against any protest they proclaim illegal

There is "minute by minute" coverage of the protest at Madrid at Diagonal newspaper online[es].

The original manifesto of this online anonymous protest appeal can be read here[es].

Kaosenlared reports that the far right is attacking the protesters, so far by word only. Notably Libertad Digital and Intereconmía TV are reported as very hostile.

Video of the concentration in Madrid:


After the report of 19 arrested (plus other five minors also arrested), they chant Police assassin! and El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido! (The united people will never be defeated!)


Update: a minuscle and pretty much unknown fascist party (Regeneración), with support of Intereconomía TV, showed up yesterday night at the Puerta del Sol palza in Madrid in an act of provocation, reports Sare Antifaxista[es]. They have vowed to return.


Background:
We are not merchandise in the hands of politicians and bankers (central slogan of the protests)

    3 comments:

    1. HI Maju, sounds a bit like what happened in greece after that 15 year old kid was killed by the Police? what is going on there? I Know Basque country is not like Madrid, but are you guys having problems there?
      excuse me for my ignorance but i have no information here down under on these things..
      cheers friend.
      A13

      ReplyDelete
    2. I have added a couple of background links. It's one of those non-partisan protest appeals, feeding on widespread discontent. There's 21% unemployment and much of the work is underemployment. Housing prices are hyper high and there's no known plan for the future either by the government (center-left) or the opposition (hardcore right of fascist roots).

      I think that, rather than Greece (that also: the country is still upside down with strikes and protests every other day - but much harder and better organized than here, the Greeks know how to make a revolution or at least try it), the references here are the recent protest in Portugal and Egypt's Tahrir Square unfinished revolution.

      There are also elections in three days, so it's a good timing to rise grievances (more or less).

      As for the Basque Country, well, it's a long story, as long as I can remember (and I'm 42). Suffice to say that there has been "always" a low intensity war and that, even with the current unilateral truce by ETA, state repression is still extremely high.

      ReplyDelete
    3. Hi Maju, I too am 42(Aug 68') and the whole world has decended into some kind of theatre of the absurd..but calculated and corrupt..in our lifetimes hasn't there been any reprieve?
      In My country we have Under employment, a huge widening gap between well off and poor, exploding house prices and food prices and so many shared issues ( like other countries) that just wouldn't happen if this wasn't all orchestrated and carried out by "agentur" within each and every country on Earth..
      BTW our BANKS here in Oz have been downgraded from AA1 to AA2 Today!..ominous.
      Cheers A13

      ReplyDelete

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