For some, the answer to the economic crisis is austerity. For others it is credit, or job creation. For the mayor of the Andalusian town of Marinaleda, direct action is the most apt response. In the summer, Sánchez Gordillo and fellow members of the SAT labour union grabbed the headlines by organising “food grabs” in two supermarkets. Activists carted food out of the shops without paying, insisting it would be donated to local charities. Sánchez Gordillo saw this as a symbolic move to illustrate the extent of Spain’s troubles and he also led a series of protest marches and squats on unused land across the south. In Marinaleda itself, the bearded, charismatic mayor claims to have established … [Read more...] about Juan Manuel Sánchez Gordillo
andalusia
Spain’s “Robin Hood” labour union hogs the limelight
Since then, Sánchez Gordillo has also been involved in a series of marches across Andalusia by around 400 SAT members who say they want to highlight the issue of unemployment. Spain has Europe’s highest jobless rate at 24.8 percent. Andalusia is one of the regions that has been most affected by the current economic crisis, with an unemployment rate of 34 percent, rising to 63 percent for those under the age of 25. … [Read more...] about Spain’s “Robin Hood” labour union hogs the limelight
Córdoba
Andalusia has a handful of candidates for this list, not least Granada and Seville. But the former capital of the Islamic caliphate comes out on top for several reasons. The Mezquita is the obvious one: a massive, labyrinthine mosque that is beautiful despite having a Catholic cathedral dumped on top of it. In addition, central Córdoba has maintained its appeal despite the brutal urban development raging around it, and what’s better than a wander around the Jewish quarter after a plate of rabo de toro? … [Read more...] about Córdoba