Occupation of Madrid's main plaza continues

[Hannah Bell]

The occupation of Spain’s main Puerta del Sol Square in Madrid continued over the weekend, and protests are set to carry on next week. The square is in front of the former post office building, now the office of the Popular Party President of the regional government of Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre.

Thousands of people attended some 120 assemblies in neighbourhoods and communes of Madrid on Saturday. Up to 800 gathered in some of these demonstrations in the capital. On Sunday, thousands gathered in the Puerta del Sol. Protesters held banners with slogans including, “Enough!”, “They will not shut us up,” “Earning 600 euros a month is terrorism”.

These protests continue in the face of growing threats of a violent police crackdown by the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) government in the aftermath of the brutal repression of the occupation of the main square in Barcelona on Friday that saw 120 injured.

Buildings overlooking the Puerta del Sol are covered in homemade banners including one exclaiming, “Madrid, capital of the Spanish revolution”. Another large banner reads, “Thieving bankers are to blame for the crisis.” A banner hung over the entrance to the Metro station on the square declared putting all corrupt politicians in jail would solve fifty percent of the country’s problems...

[LLStarks]

1. Is this an enlightened mob or in the same vein as the Tea Party? nt

[dipsydoodle]

2. Neither - just a lot seriously pissed off people.

Following Spain joining the EU back in '86 there was a progressive migration of their labour force from the tourist industry to the building industry. At the peak their building industry employed 13% of Spain's workforce. That industry ground to a halt as a direct result of the antics of American financial institutions. The knock on effect of that collapse was inevitable - it screwed their entire economy. Their current umemployment rate is 21.3% : http://www.eutimes.net/2011/05/spain-unemployment-rate-hits-21-3/ Hence the protests which are about jobs.

[Bonobo]

3. Even "unenlightened" people know when they're getting ripped off.

Did you ever think that just maybe the arrogance towards the "Tea Baggers" may be intentionally engendered into you in order to suit a political agenda (not your own) and may be counterproductive wrt achieving some of the Progressive goals as well?

[xchrom]

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