15-M, or los indignados, are two years old this month and in the last few days I’ve been to two very different events marking that anniversary which give an idea as to where the movement is going. The first was a demonstration on May 12 in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol. I’ve given up trying to work out how many people are at such protests, as has the media in many cases, because the versions given by the authorities and those taking part are so utterly contradictory. But while there was an impressive turnout, there were fewer people than on the corresponding date last year – and nothing like the number that turned out in May 2011. The second was a comic opera. Solfónica, an orchestra made up … [Read more...] about ‘Twilight…’
protests
2013: Another rough ride for Spain
Last year presented probably the toughest baptism of fire for any Spanish prime minister since the transition to democracy, but Mariano Rajoy knows that this year will be just as challenging. The big problems facing his government in the coming months are, for the most part, those that dominated 2012: the markets and a pending bailout; rising unemployment; lack of growth; social unrest; and Catalonia’s push for independence. The bailout presents perhaps the most vexing problem for Rajoy, because it demands decisiveness from a notoriously equivocal politician. Although Spain’s borrowing costs have dropped from their alarming levels last summer following Mario Draghi’s assurances … [Read more...] about 2013: Another rough ride for Spain
Willy Toledo: The reasons for being a rebel
Willy Toledo – you either love him or you hate him. He made his big break as an actor on the TV show 7 Vidas alongside Paz Vega and Toni Cantó, but he is better known for his political activism. Guillermo Toledo Monsalve, now 42, had an unusual upbringing. Christened by a left-wing priest in the final years of the Franco regime, Toledo’s father came from a working class family who managed to finance his degree in medicine and his mother is from an upper-class family. Despite his relatively privileged background, Toledo received an unorthodox education, studying at the Colegio Estilo, a school based on the principle of constant creative stimulation, which was popular with the members of … [Read more...] about Willy Toledo: The reasons for being a rebel
Spain’s ‘indignados’
[sharethis] Last May, as the campaign for Spain’s local elections got underway, it looked like business as usual. Neither of the two main political parties was managing to inspire voters with hope or ideas as the country’s jobless line grew and the economic crisis deepened. But on May 15, the Sunday before the elections, a group of well-organised, mainly young, activists gathered in Madrid and marched to the central square of Puerta del Sol. They set up a makeshift campsite, declared the Spanish political system unrepresentative and obsolete, and within days their support had snowballed across the country and the eyes of the world were on them. Six months on, los indignados, or the … [Read more...] about Spain’s ‘indignados’
Spain’s greatest export: protest and outrage
El País newspaper’s decision to put its coverage of the October 15 (or “15-O”) global protests on its “National” pages, rather than in the “International” section may have looked at first glance like a heinous editing error, but it was in fact a telling decision. Spain’s own indignados protesters, who have been clamouring for economic and political change since May 15, are claiming the credit for the demonstrations held in around 1,000 cities and 80 countries worldwide at the weekend. This may sound fanciful, but, amazingly, it is close to the truth. When the indignados occupied Puerta del Sol in central Madrid during Spain’s local election campaign, it was clearly a new phenomenon for … [Read more...] about Spain’s greatest export: protest and outrage