Tag Archives: acampadabcn

Secret police accused of violence in #Barcelona, evidence surfaces on the Web #europeanrevolution #joambelparlament #15m15j #aturemparlament

The following video is coming up repeatedly throughout social media networks and other channels:

In it is the alleged evidence proving that the violence against politicians outside of the Catalan Parliament in Barcelona was started by undercover police. This is not an uncommon tactic for police or government services, as it was proved true in several of the Arab countries that carried out their own revolts. The video shows the start of the incidents, and the cameraman is heard to be saying “those are the ones that started it, over there”. Various people in the video can be seen pointing towards a group calling them out as the agitators. A young man can be seen angrily reprimanding them for their actions and then the camera realizes that one of them is seen to be wearing a earphone. A small group of them gather together away from the protestors and are surrounded by cries that signaled them out as policemen. Shortly afterward the riot police escorted them away, proving their status. This coincides with various tweets, whose user´s stated that they had asked the police to intervene against the violent ones and received no response. There is also a photo that proves the same fact.

Advertisement

Leave a comment

Filed under #AcampadaBCN (Barcelona) NEWS/RELEASES

Testimonial of Sebastian Ledesma on police crackdown at #AcampadaBCN #Spanishrevolution #15M

Translation of the testimonial of the person in a wheelchair in the pictures of the eviction of the Catalonia square (Barcelona). Published in the Vanguardia on the 1 June 2011 http://www.lavanguardia.com/participacion/20110601/54164400665/els-mossos-d-esquadra-van-agredir-me.html (in Catalan)

I am the person in a wheelchair who appeared in numerous photos of the attempted eviction in the Catalonia square in Barcelona, and I want to put a name to the controversial images. My name is Sebastian Ledesma Moran, I am 55 years old, and I want to make three things clear:

1) That the images are a true reflection of what happened there.

2) That the policeman (mosso d’esquadra, the Catalan police) was not defending me, as the minister Felip Puig and some media said, but that I was attacked as bumps and scratches left in the chair and caused by a baton blow certify.

3) I did not get any blow on my body because another mosso said to the one threatening with his baton (as shown in photo): “No, fuck not to this one, we would end up in the tribunals”

I also want to make clear that I am neither a hero nor a victim, not a “borroka” or, much less, an unconscious. I am only another outraged. I participate in daily activities at the Catalonia square, especially in the Functional Diversity Committee, which among other things, deals with issues of disability.

And you can be sure we will continue to protest peacefully and to fight until the present state of things fades away.

I will have to repair my wheelchair, otherwise the scratches will rust. I don’t know, and I don’t care, if I have to pay for the reparation.  What really worries me is that when I was young I had to run in front of Franco’s police, and that this police, which I believed was my police, make me run in front of them. I don’t know how to explain to my daughters that this is the police we asked for.

During the police charge  I heard many policemen saying, always in Spanish, by the way: “What is this man doing here? Carry him off! Carry him off!”. I am fed up of having my presence  challenged: It is my right, and even my duty, to be there as outraged. Why they didn’t want me there? Because I was  making it hard for them to deliver blows at pleasure? I find disturbing all the fuss about I being agreed or not while it seems that it doesn’t matter what happen to other people, if they were agreed or if they had a panic attack. We are all equal before the law, and we all have the same right to freedom of speech and self-defense, especially against an unjustified assault as the one last Friday.

Those who were behind my chair, who got beaten by the police, were there because I told them to hide there, convinced that I will be respected.  Nobody manipulated me, and there was not need to protect me from my outraged fellows, as somebody has said. I only felt manipulated when Felip Puig delivered his version of the police action, the only protection I was in need for was from his men.

We were offering peaceful resistance at the square entrances to prevent the trucks to go out with our belongings. As demonstrated, we could not retrieve anything that was taken, neither the signatures collected, nor the mobile phones or anything. Finally they thrown our belongs in a wasteland as if it was garbage

The only moment I felt really  afraid was after later, after the moment the photos were taken, when thousands of supporters surrounded and screamed at the police. I fear that they would they go for them, that the police would retaliated and that some calamity would happen. They were moments of great tension. They were moments of
another epoch, one I believed was gone long ago.

Leave a comment

Filed under #AcampadaBCN (Barcelona) NEWS/RELEASES

Translation of the conclusions of Manuel Castells on May 27 at the #AcampadaBCN #spanishrevolution #15M

Translation of the conclusions of the speach in Spanish  of the sociologist Manuel Castells, professor at Berkeley University  (California) and researcher at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC),  on May 27 at the # AcampadaBCN – Plaza of Catalonia – to support the  camps around the world and enumerate the conditions necessary to achieve  real democratic change. Short version of the conference (in Spanish) http://www.vilaweb.tv/?video=6848 Complete version (47 minutes) http://www.vilaweb.tv/?video=6847 
“Fearful around the world, but united in the Web”
We  are in a society where everything needs to be fast, but when we arrive at  home we colapse. Therefore we should do what we want to do, like for  instances create a new democracy, but slowly. Nobody is in a hurry, we have  to make history, there is not need to rush. Others can run, we don’t,  because we are advancing systematically. If not we will become the  rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, running always with the clock. My long experience  in social movements, starting with the May of 68 in Paris, where I  participated actively, tells me that what we are living here, and in 706  camps more around the world, has substance, has roots, and whatever  forms it takes and whatever will happen, this movement will continue. It  will attempt to bring profund changes. Precisly because it is a  movement of people not of organisations. People are neither created nor  destroyed, only transformed. But is not going to be easy. When the  powers that be realise what is going on is serious (because for the  moment they don’t believe this is serious), they will react. And they  will react probably violently because there are too many interests at  stake. That is why it is essential that this process be slow and profund to  reconstruct democracy. It must also have non-violence as a fundamental  principal,  which is already expressed and put into  practice. 
 
Non-violence is  fundamental. What camps are proving all over Spain, is that after 11 days  there has been not a single violent incident. And until the police come,  there is not going to be violence. To the likely violence from the  system, we should propose people use non-violence. To do this, a lot of  courage is needed, becauase to reply to violence with violence, is to  respond from fear: you are attacked and you defend youself. We will need  to help people who would be so scared that would became violent. We  should help them to advance towards a superior level of courage, which  requires one to overcome fear. Overcome fear from the acceptance of the  funtamental fact that fear is a part of life. The only way to  overcome fear is by leaving solitud. Fear is a disease caused by  loneliness. The only cure is joining others. And without fear and  without violence, all is possible. Some days ago,  I asked a good  friend, and a great neuroscientist, Antoni Damasio: “Do you think it is true  that if we overcome fear things would change?” And he replied “Absolutly” because fear is human nature  and have to recognize it.
 
Therefore if now I had to propose a slogan, I  would say: Fearful around the world, but united in the Web. United,  because together the only thing you can lose is your fear. And if we do it, this may be the start of a new  participatory internet based democracy, yet to be invented, which will be born. Thanks for your antention, and we can continue discussing this after the talk. 

Leave a comment

Filed under #AcampadaBCN (Barcelona) NEWS/RELEASES

PhD Arcadi Olvieras on Crisis in #Spain at #AcampadaBCN on 20th May #SpanishRevolution

Arcadi Oliveres, PhD in Economics of Autonomous University of Barcelona, spoke on Friday May 20 2011 in the afternoon before a large audience in Barcelona, ​​during the protest movement of the Outrageds that reached across the world in the midst of the Plaza de Catalunya demonstration​, part of the called ‘#acampadabcn’.

No to the pensions fund

Investing in a pensions fund automatically makes us accomplices of speculation, we will be involved necessarily in awful things without even being aware, our money will finance corporations that do regretful things, we cannot go to demonstrations such as these, against the war, for example, without being aware that our money may be going to an arms factory.

Fight the Tax Fraud

Tax fraud in Spain is of 80.000 Euros. By preventing tax fraud we could raise pensions by 60 %, making any pensions fund unnessary.

Banks involved in money laundering

EL PAIS published “ Big Spanish banks launder sistematically money from drugs in tax paradaises”.

A week after this news was published the complete Executive Board of the bank BBVA resigned

Nationalization of banks

We should nationalize the banks that have received public funding, and this is not socialism, marxism or leninism, even Mr George Bush, who cannot be suspected of being a leflist, nationalized two american banks after funding them. Mr Gordon Brown, the former British prime minister, did the same thing.

Here in Spain we have given money to many banks and we haven’t nationalized a single one.

Ending hunger is possible

Since the begining of the crisis, banks around the world have received a total of 2.7 milion dollars.

With this amount of money given by goverments to banks famine in the world could be erradicated for … 54 years!

Rescuing Greece is too expensive

The time has arrived to create two Euro currencies with different speeds in Europe, depending on each country capacity. A euro for Germany, France. Belgium, Holland… and another for Spain, Greece, Portugal or Ireland.

Last year Spain payed 10,000 milion Euros to rescue Greece, and this week we will have to pay more. 10,000 milion Euros is exactly the amount of money that Zapatero has taken from Spanish citizens by freezing pensions, reducing civil servants salaries, stopping the funding for economic development, or discontinuing the “baby check”, etc… here are the 10,000 milion of euros we have given to Greece…

Working hours

The biggest impact of this crisis is not financial, but laboral. So, what should we do? Create new jobs, for sure, but could we create jobs for all the unemployed? No. In Spain there are 5 milion unemployed people, could we create jobs for all of them? Impossible! We could create some, but never 5 milion new jobs. I tell you, the only solution to this problem is that those employed work less hours so others can work. This is Solidary Distribuion of Employement. There is no other solution to this problem, that those fortunate enough to have a job reduce their working hours so others can be employed. This means that we have to fight to reduce working hours, (which is the contrary of what Zapatero is doing, he is extending the retirment age). Is this utopian? Not at all. A former French prime minister, Lionel Jospin, did this in France 12 years ago, and in less than two months 1,5 milions of new jobs were created in France… In our case it is impossible to solve the problem in less than 4 years.

Yes to “economical decrease”

But I tell you something, if one day we manage to get out of this crisis we cannot NEVER AGAIN, talk of economic growth, this is over! We the privileged people of the North that have exhausted the natural resources, the planet cannot sustain this anymore. Now is time to talk about economical decrease, and never again about growth.

This is linked to the ecological footprint

STOP the military expenses

You know that the Spanish goverment has not increased pensions, then how much have they saved by not increasing them? 13,000 milion Euros. On the other hands the Spanish goverment has spent 1,300 milions Euros of its budget building a fighter plane called the “Euro Fighter”, the saving in pensions has been spent building this plain jointly with Germany, Italy and the UK. Some years ago, the former German Prime Minister, Gerhad Schroder said that he will do his best take Germany out of the Euro Fighter project. This plane is very expensive and 15 years behind American models, and it is designed to attack USSR, which no longer exists… Schröder attempted to abandon the project, but after few weeks he said, “I wanted to leave the project but manufacturers, bankers and military haven’t allowed me” So, who is really in charge of German democracy? Bankers, manufacturers or military? And think it is quite clear.. Spain has never even attempted to abandon the project. Once they invite us into something, there we stay…

Don’t blaim immigrants

We cannot blame immigrants for this crisis, it is not their fault, and still they are scapegoats.

We are using them as scapegoats and some political parties of fascist tendencies… OK today I don’t want to talk about that during this elections campaign… they are taking advantage of all this with electoralist objectives…

This planet belongs to everybody and borders should be abolished. Besides, even from a very selfish point of view, we should be aware of what immigration is about, Spain needs immigrants because our population is growing old.

The ElectionsBoard is wrong

Don’t get discouraged, the Elections Board has no right to forbid this. The Elections board is trying to block any type of participation…

Final Manifesto

(Reads) “We are united by this upsetting situation, for our precarious lifes and general inequality, but above all we are united by a wish of change, we are here because we want a new society that will prioritize life above economical and political interests. We feel opresed by the capatialist economy and we feel ignored by the present political system which doesn’t represent us. We are working to achieve a deep transformation of the society we live in, and above all we work to make society the protagonist of its own tranformation”.

You all are the protagonists, thank you very much.

Original video (Catalan):

1 Comment

Filed under ARTICLES & ANALYSIS

Release of detainees in the event of #15M 2011 at #Acampadasol #Spanishrevolution

(Originally posted at http://madrid.tomalaplaza.net/2011/05/22/release-of-detainees-in-the-event-of-may-15-2011/ )

Vegan Press detainees the demonstration of May 15, 2011

Assembly of the exhibition held from May 15

With this release we show how we addressed the national police and that people know what the attitude of these people, blinded by power.

We write these lines to express how we feel about what happened.

We are very different people, about ourselves as anarchists and others as anti-globalization, feminists, environmentalists, people who are in favour of a real democracy, etc., but all the comrades saw and suffered in our flesh the disproportionate police harassment and unfair.

Given that some did not participate in the demonstration, and we were able to defend various forms of political action, we all have a common feeling, discontent with the current situation of our lives (the difficulty in finding work or precarious conditions, no to realize our dreams because of economic inequalities and all this education consume and consume based on repressed by our political ideas or wanting to be different from what surrounds us). We are facing a scenario with no hope and no future that prompt us to live peacefully and be able to deal with what we like to each. Therefore, most came to the event May 15 to try to change this system more fair and equitable, but what was our experience: Repression by the state security Corps.

It was shameful to see how exalted men, dressed and equipped with all kinds of weapons to frighten and hitting anything that moved or anyone who was a little different as dictated by market trends, see how the police, which is supposed to maintain order and social peace, who was hit with impunity in their power, their faces full of hatred and dilated pupils (by stimulants that may have consumed), the terror that used to defend bankers, politicians and big business.

Detainees vegan agrees on the form of disproportionate, random act of the police, the following points:

1. A colleague, after examining his arrest in the van and hands tied, he was caught in the head and beat him to the seat of the van, which bears traces saying is “unhygienic “and that he did not care that there was no done nothing, but it was a dirty, and that was enough to hit her. And when it seems that has already passed, another riot was about to say “do not complain much, at least has hit just one.”

2. Another companion, baggy trousers, they say: “Normal you cannot find work with those pants fag” among other homophobic and sexist comments.

3. Another colleague who was leaving for home after completing the event, accompanied by his girlfriend see how the police are smashing blows a guy asks you to stop hitting and ends beaten and arrested for “getting where no one was called “.

4. Two comrades, to see how the riot batons to beat people sitting in the middle of Gran Via, intervene to raise the kids the ground and did not set foot, ending with secret police detained for aesthetic skins, only identified themselves as police after the arrests.

5. Another fellow had the misfortune of wanting to take the commuter rail in Sol after coming to play football. He was arrested “for being in the wrong time and place, ” as he later said in front of us all laughing in your face, humbling to see that the bag carried the football boots, shin pads, the robe of his team and ball. Just little joke saying, “do not complain much, so you have a story to tell your grandchildren.”

6. In the Provincial Information Brigade in Madrid, located in Moratalaz, we could not look up from the ground, as they either received a cry or a stroke. It was like horror movies, were all hooded, let us not look them in the face, even when we did a question. Unfortunately, reality is stranger than fiction.

7. Lying on the ground with the bridle tight in the wrists and looking down, warns that another partner has heart problems, which has been operated and taking medication. Asked to be transferred to hospital, to which the officers responded mocking him and denying him medical care. Spent 2 hours until a police commander said he would call the Emergencies, who arrived an hour later. For the police, the situation seemed funny and decided to put the nickname “The Telele” made ​​jokes and comments. He was eventually taken to hospital where he was treated. They put a road and provided him with medication. To be returned to jail, not let him take the medication with him and told him when he needed the request. After several hours, there was a changing of the guard and the new officers were not informed of the problem, when having to take a new dose was refused. The companion suffered a panic attack and agreed to their demands after more than two hours that we spend the rest of the detainees to help him screaming.

8. Since many of the comrades we were frightened, and in the first instance did not want to advise our parents or see a doctor. After the initial shock, we call these rights and one of the responsible commissioner Moratalaz literally cried: “Panda’s sissies, wimps of shit, I’ll get a kick in the ass that you will come out through your mouth, not first want to be notified to your mom and 5 minutes yes, but what the fuck you think is this bunch of assholes? Go to suck!

9. For all shipments in the car we drive recklessly at high speed, swerving and braking giving way, so that when in the back in handcuffs we beat them against the doors and partition walls.

10. Other signs of psychological abuse were:
– One partner said, “You’re lucky that I have not hit two shots”
– As we crawled up the stairs said: “We could throw out the window, which is a fucking socialist.”
– We are seeing signs of abuse and racism against other detainees.
– They refused to provide the resources that a partner hygienic deem necessary for menstruation.
– They altered our temporal consciousness and our sleep cycles.
– Continually mocked vegan status of some of us, with derogatory phrases like: “Look, this is the vegetarian.” “Normal, with the face of bitter you have.” Of course, they refused to respect this condition. They further argued that food was scarce saying “so fucking sexy for the summer.”

In addition to these abuses and humiliations, we denounce the crimes of “public disorder”, punishable from 6 months to 3 years in prison “Infringement of the authority”, punishable by 1 to 3 years in prison and “Resistance.” The first charge is common for all detainees, and then varies from 2 to 3 counts. These are the testimonies of the elderly, having 5 other children who were taken to the lumps (Lower Panel) and whose testimony was not known and we want to express our solidarity.

This was the treatment we receive, without forgetting that we were all lying on the floor face down or facing the wall, with clamps or tightly shackled to the maximum, for 2 or 3 hours.

With this release we show how we dealt with the Spanish National Police and that people know what the attitude of these people, blinded by the power they have granted.
We encourage all people to continue to participate in these demonstrations, or as they see fit, to show that we are not afraid and we are tired of their lies and theft.

If you fight you lose, but if you do not fight you are lost.

The street is ours and our lives too. We no longer believe their lies. The changes are in the street and not just in the polls. Do not represent us. No, no, they do not represent us!

Leave a comment

Filed under #Acampadasol (Madrid) NEWS/RELEASES

#Acampadasol will continue in Madrid – #spanishrevolution #15m

– TRANSLATION – (Originally posted at http://madrid.tomalaplaza.net/2011/05/22/acampada-sol-continuara-en-la-puerta-del-sol/)

MADRID, May 22th 2011. The General Assembly at Acampada Sol (Occupation at Sol Square) agreed during today’s morning meeting to continue camping at Puerta del Sol at least next Sunday (29th May). In this matter the Assembly was unanimous. One of the many reasons to continue the camp was the exportation of the kind of work which is being performed to other towns around Madrid. The final intention is that the various neighborhoods of Madrid experiment with the direct-participational system used at Sol. The definitive agreement was reached at 2:00 p.m. today.

Citizenship grows
We stress that the General Assembly of Sol was born after the protests of  the 15th of May 2011. During the first of the assemblies it was agreed that we would camp peacefully in Sol. The main objective was to demand a new society, a society that gives priority to people over economic and political interests. Basically, a change in social awareness. From this moment onwards the number of citizens sleeping in the camp and participating in the movement has gotten bigger and bigger. Every day there is more people actively paticipating in their community.
According to a spokesperson of Acampada Sol: ¨During the week we will be giving out details on how we will export this model to the towns of Madrid province¨.
Acampada Sol

@acampadasol – http://www.facebook.com/spanishrevolution

http://madrid.tomalaplaza.net

2 Comments

Filed under #Acampadasol (Madrid) NEWS/RELEASES

Declaration of Principles of Barcelona Camp #acampadabcn #spanishrevolution #15m

(Originally posted at http://acampadabcn.org/noticias/traducciones-de-la-declaracion-de-principios/)

DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES

#acampadabcn

We have come here voluntarily and by free will. After the 15th of May demonstrations we have decided to remain united and grow in numbers in our fight for dignity. We do not represent any political party and they do not represent us.

We are united in our rage, our discomfort, the problems we face in our lives, which are derived by inequality, but above all, what keeps us together is our will for change. We are here because we want to build a new society that puts our lives before any political or economic interest. We feel crushed by the capitalist economy, we feel excluded from the present political system which does not represent us. We are fighting for a radical change in society. And, above all, we aim at keeping society as the sole driver of this transformation.

They thought we were asleep. They thought they could carry on cutting our rights without resistance. But they were wrong: we are fighting – peacefully, but with determination – for the life we deserve.

We have learned from Cairo, Iceland and Madrid.

Now it’s time to extend the fight and spread the word.

Information #acampadabcn

http://acampadabcn.org/

acampadabcn.wordpress.com

acampadabcn@yahoo.es

Timetable (daily until we remain camped)

  • 19:00h – Work committee
  • 19:30h – Coordination and preparation of the general meeting
  • 21:00h – Popular “frying-pan” protest
  • 22:30h – General meeting.

Leave a comment

Filed under #AcampadaBCN (Barcelona) NEWS/RELEASES

Propositions approved at May 20th 2011 Assembly at #acampadasol #spanishrevolution

– TRANSLATION-
MADRID, May 20th 2011. As a result of the agreement reached during the assembly of the 20th May 2011 in ACAMPADA SOL (Sol Square occupation) and as a result of the recopilation and synthesis of the various propositions received during past days, a list of proposals was elaborated. We point out that the Assembly is an open and collaborative process. This list must not be understood as finished.

Propositions approved at today’s assembly (May 20th 2011):

1. Reform of the Electoral Law. We demand open lists with unique circumscription. The number of acquired seats must be proportional to the number of votes.

2. Enforcement of basic and fundamental rights expressed in the Spanish Constitution, such as:

– The right to decent housing, achieved by a reform in mortgage law.

– So that handing over the house implicates the cancelling of the debt.

– Free and universal public health system.

3. Abolition of discriminatory  laws, such as the European Space for Higher Education, the Immigration Law and the Sinde Law.

4. Fiscal reform to favor equality, a tax reform actually based on income and inheritance. We also demand the implementation of Tobin Taxes, which take into account international financial transfers and the suppression of fiscal paradises.

5. Reform of the labor conditions of the political class, to abolish, for example,  life salaries.

6.   Transparency and political lists free from corruption must be mandatory by Electoral Law.

7. Plural action regarding banks and financial markets, obeying 128th article of Constitution, which determines that all the country´s wealth, in its various forms and ways of ownership, is subjected to general interest. Control of the IMF and European Central Bank’s power and influence. Immediate nationalization of those banking entities which were rescued by the State. Enduring control over financial entities and operations so abuses, in their various forms,  are abolished.

8. Real detachment  between the Church and the State, as stressed in the 16th article of the Constitution.

9.  Participative and direct democracy, active citizenship must be encouraged institutionally.  Popular access to media must be ethical and truthful.

10. True regularization of labor conditions with accurate enforcement by the powers of the State.

11.  Closing of all nuclear energy plants and promotion of renewable and free energy.

12. Recovery of public enterprises which were privatized.

13. Effective separation between executive, legislative and judicial powers.

14. Reduction of military expenses, immediate closing of weapon factories and a more effective control of state security forces. As a peaceful movement we believe in an end to wars.

15. Recovery of Historical Memory and the founding principles of the fight for democracy in our state.

16. Transparency of political parties accounts and financing as a way of stopping corruption.

4 Comments

Filed under #Acampadasol (Madrid) NEWS/RELEASES

After 15th May, a challenge: reinventing democracy

– TRANSLATION – Original source (Spanish) at DESPUÉS DEL 15M, un reto: reinventar la democracia (http://tomalaplaza.net/materiales-para-la-reflexion/)

During these days events have gone fast, and we haven’t have much time to assimilate everything. The camp out and the assemblies here at Puerta del Sol, have allowed many of us to find ourselves, to talk and imagine the capacity of so many minds and bodies working together. When politics awakens, when you are able to step outside the farce that represents what we call democracy, new horizons and objectives, that seem impossible, open up. This is why we are proposing some ideas that can help us understand, between all of us, the importance of what has been achieved up until now, and the magnitude of what lies ahead.

1. The hymn that has been sung the most is “they call it democracy, but it’s not”. This is because, first of all, democracy means a form of government where people can participate directly in public affairs. When you identify democracy with the summoning of elections, with a Constitution, with the right of representation, it becomes equivalent to institutions that can be completely empty. Simply, talking about democracy means talking about debate and active citizenship in public affairs before elections, laws and delegation of responsibilities to political agents. Because of this, it is fair to say that democracy is an act that is much more present in the Puerta del Sol than in actual Spanish institutions, electoral fights and political slogans.

The institutional reform that we could come to propose, our revolution, to call it something, would not have to be one that plans to make the electoral law a more proportional one, or jailing corrupt politicians and bankers. Even though these could  and should be included, our reform implies recovering public power for direct participation, with referendums, democratic control of common resources and new ways of deciding with the help of technology.

2. There is no democracy without equality and freedom. When limited to consumer choice between two brands, that even though they appear different in the end they are the same thing, something that happens with the major political parties (PP – PSOE), the idea of democracy is a ghost. But it is even more pathetic and false when the democratic institutions these parties control are under the yoke of a few. The crisis we have faced the past years has taught us that politics in Spain is at the will of market forces: first it is necessary to guarantee the investor’s benefits and only then (in the long term) comes the well-being of the population; it is more important to rescue financial institutions than to maintain or strengthen social rights, for example. The absence of equality and freedom is perfectly visible in our society today: it can be seen in the exercise of a law that is not the same for everyone, in the use of debt as a mechanism to maintain life under control with ever falling salaries. Even here, in the camp and the protests: how many illegal immigrants can participate without fear of arrest? What kind of freedom is left for a life chained to mortgage payments, that because of Spanish law you will still have to pay even after being evicted?

This is already a declaration of our intentions. Our struggle can be defined in simple words: we want equality and freedom so it is possible to have a truly democratic society, because without these basic ingredients it is impossible. To achieve this we need not only prosecute corruption but also guarantee the things that permit a minimum of equality and freedom, for example, liberty for immigrants to move freely and not be the object of permanent harassment. The freedom to declare yourself bankrupt when you can no longer pay mortgage. Equality too, but the type achieved through education generated and managed by everybody (no more public money for private institutions);the kind achieved with equal access to health care and the right to be autonomous (nurseries or honest pensions. And above all, equality of conditions for a worthy life that can only be achieved by sharing resources equally or controlling speculative rents. In this way nobody should face the misery of unemployment or the brutal exploitation of life.

3. These past days have taught us important lessons: legitimation and consensus that forces the right to think and to participate politically in the hands of professionals is as fragile as a house of cards. It took terns of thousands of people on the streets with a clear message to provoke, first  the unrest and disbelief, and then the hysteric reaction of politicians and media. Today, yesterday and surely tomorrow, many newspapers like El Pais and other Prisa group journalists have invited us to think about the danger of shouting out that “there is no democracy”. They have thrown at us their defensive arguments about the institutional state of affairs, making us believe that we must choose between “parlamentarism or totalitarianism”. Without a doubt these great conquests of the democratic transition in our country are forgetting the most important fact, that these institutions are worthless if the laws they uphold are only useful for maintaining the interests of a select few. They also forget that democracy should be, above all, a daily exercise for every citizen.

Many financial, political and media agents have been invaded by the fear that the system will finally be seen for what it is, that the big business of political representation will finally be naked and shown as a simple business in the hands of charlatans on the payroll of corporate interests. The political parties, recently displaced, for the first time, from the center of the political spotlight have reacted trying to assimilate the new situation. Their position has moved between the incipient attack from the new right and their media to a movement to which they don’t have or never will have any possibility of belonging, to the pathetic attempts of left wing groups to incorporate the movement into their agenda. This type of action will always fail because it is precisely because of it that the protests have been called for. Against the general lack of orientation of institutions, the 15M movement has already achieved a first victory: that is, that instead of having to stand another dull election campaign, full of inept candidates and political programs, where nothing really important is ever talked about, the whole political spectrum has been made to take a stance towards the proposals and the issues raised by our movement: What is democracy? Who has social rights? Who has rights over common riches?

The road that is left to walk after the 22nd, after the elections that, we insist, will not make any substantial changes, will be long. After the temporary camp at Sol we will have to put our intelligence and our imagination to the the task of opening up spaces where real politics can be made, the type of action that can produce changes in the life we live in society.

1 Comment

Filed under ARTICLES & ANALYSIS