Two summers ago, long before the indignados and 15-M, there was Yo voy Betis and 15-J. Following the relegation of Real Betis, and amid growing anger at the alleged pilfering of millions of euros by club owner Manuel Ruiz de Lopera, over 60,000 angry green-and-white clad supporters marched in protest through Seville’s city centre. The evening culminated in a mass rally, where former Spain and Betis left-back Rafael Gordillo demanded Lopera’s departure to cheers from a jam-packed Plaza Nueva. Similar to the 15-M movement’s calls for politicians to reform themselves and banks to play fair, the initial practical impact of “15-J” was difficult to spot. The club’s 2009/10 campaign was … [Read more...] about Betis are back after a trip to hell
15-m
Malcontents in search of democracy
It is a voice of alarm that brings together the feelings of several generations, nationalities, political colors and economic classes. It is probable that we are witnessing in these gatherings an exercise in real and participatory democracy. Others, however, consider that the protestors are living in a utopia outside of the reality imposed by the market economy. Nonetheless, there are some who foresee a new phase in Spanish democracy. For that reason, the protests that took place on Sunday, June 19 are a breath of fresh air in a society threatened by the economic crisis, unemployment and the indifference of the justice system to cases of corruption in certain political circles. Putting to … [Read more...] about Malcontents in search of democracy
What will follow the Spanish Spring?
“They have gathered 30,000 signatures but have forgotten what they are for.” Besides being purely mischievous, there is also a shade of truth behind this headline from satirical website El Mundo Today. Over the last month, Spain has seen a swelling of civic outrage at its dysfunctional political system, expressed through the 15-M, or Democracia Real Ya, protest movement, whose members have occupied squares around the country. Those sleeping-bag protests are now ending and the most symbolic one of all, that in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, has voted to pack up and move on. Now, still bristling with outrage, 15-M is organising neighbourhood assemblies and one-off demonstrations, such as … [Read more...] about What will follow the Spanish Spring?
How police brutality helped Spain’s 15-M protests
In recent days, music fans and political activists in Spain have been remembering Gil Scott-Heron, the singer-songwriter who died last Friday. The ongoing sit-ins and protests that started across Spain in the lead-up to May’s local elections have seen inevitable links being drawn between Scott-Heron’s anthem The Revolution Will Not Be Televised and the 15-M/Democracia Real Ya movement. But the day after Scott-Heron’s death, when the TV showed images of Catalonia’s mossos d’esquadra local police force brutally charging into a crowd of unarmed, peaceful demonstrators in Barcelona, it seemed more fitting to think of another seventies cultural touchstone: Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork … [Read more...] about How police brutality helped Spain’s 15-M protests
Roll up, roll up, for the Socialist horror show
“In the last few days, the party’s unity, the authority of the prime minister and party leader, our collective image as a party, and even the stability of the government have all been put at risk.” This was the verdict of Defence Minister Carme Chacón on Thursday, as she made the surprise announcement that she will not be standing as a candidate in Socialist Party primaries to choose a new candidate for the general election. It’s shocking to hear a senior Socialist politician speak in such starkly honest terms, but her words reflect how bad things have got for the party. It’s been a truly torrid week for the Socialists. First, they are one of the main targets of nationwide protests by … [Read more...] about Roll up, roll up, for the Socialist horror show
Camp outs and protests spread nationwide
The tent area began to expand Friday evening as people set up camp for the weekend in front of the Zaragoza town council. A makeshift stage with microphones and speakers located in the middle of the square was the platform used by all who wanted to share their opinions with the crowd gathered near the Basilica del Pilar. “I’m here to show the politicians that we’re not idiots. All they do is make noise. They don’t say anything, they’re just like dogs, wolves and hens and I don’t want animals representing me,” Cristian Alcala, 31, said. Alcala, unemployed, was volunteering at the improvised childcare area. He explained that he would stay “as long as [his] body could take it,” and … [Read more...] about Camp outs and protests spread nationwide
15-M: Spain’s lost generation finds a voice
They toughed out heavy rainfall on their flimsy tarpaulin roofs, they defied the electoral authorities’ prohibitions of their demonstrations, they even stole the limelight from Spain’s campaigning politicians, but can the 15-M movement survive and make a difference? Many – probably most – of the hundreds of protesters camped out at Puerta del Sol, and also those demonstrating in the centres of other Spanish cities, are educated twenty-somethings, a common profile of those who vote for the governing Socialists or the United Left. But radical, or even moderate, politics is not what is fuelling this movement; instead, economics and disenfranchisement are. “What is driving this is the … [Read more...] about 15-M: Spain’s lost generation finds a voice
It’s the economy, stupid
The young protestors who have converged on Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square – and, increasingly, on squares in cities across Spain – under the banner of the 15-M Movement have myriad demands. They want political change, a more open participative democracy, corrupt politicians out of office, the repeal of “unjust” laws, a reform of benefits for the political class, tax reform, a referendum on the monarchy, a higher minimum wage, the full separation of Church and state… the list goes on. But although the protestors’ demands are heartfelt and sweep across many socio-political areas, it is ultimately – and understandably – the protestors’ wallets that have driven them to camp out in Madrid and … [Read more...] about It’s the economy, stupid