I Protest
Five years ago today, 15th May, 2011, there was a protest in Madrid's Puerta del Sol. It was organized by different associations that had gotten together to protest against the mishandling of the economic crisis, imposed austerity, loss of workers' rights, the bailout of corrupt banks with public money, and the entrenched corruption in politics. It was a large march, about twenty thousand estimated protestors, and that night about forty of them decided to hunker down in Puerta del Sol, after the march had disbanded. They said they weren't moving until things were fixed.
Unfortunately, the police had other things in mind, and ran them from the square in the early morning, detaining around twenty of them. But indignation was running high - against the politicians, against the police, against the banks, and against the injustices caused by the crisis. On the seventeenth, people were back in Puerta del Sol, this time to camp out and stay the night. By the next day the number of people had grown into the thousands. Committees were set up to administer daily life in the protest camp and it was decided to remain until at least the local elections, which were to be on the 22nd. Urban protest camps were set up in many other cities, as well. The Spanish Movement of 15-M (15th May) had begun.
The protestors, which numbered in the thousands, ended up remaining in Puerta del Sol until the twelfth of June, when they helped the street cleaners remove all the trash. By then the protests had extended to cities and towns all over Spain and helped spark the Occupy Movement in other countries. In Spain the protest had muted and helped to found the new political party Podemos, which was the embodiment of most of the demands of the original protest movements.
The protests have not died, though. In France a movement began called Nuit Debout. It doesn't have a direct translation to English, the closest would be "vigilant all night." In Spanish the translation would be "noche en pie." It was originally a protest against the flexibilization of labor laws that would strip workers of some of their hard-earned rights. It grew to include protest against the TTIP, demand of a universal living wage, and a closing of the gender wage gap, among others. Protests began the 31st of March and have continued despite police raids. The protests have spread to many French cities and other European cities. Today, there is a call for "Global Debout," to celebrate the anniversary of Spain's 15-M. Tonight in Spanish cities there is a call for citizens to spend the night in city centers in protest. A protest is scheduled for Santiago de Compostela. Our daughter plans to go and stand up for her future, just like the young people in the 60's who once demanded a fair world.
People are sick and tired of politicians and executives in boardrooms deciding what is good for us. People are protesting. We may not get very far, but we will not sit back and let them step on us without complaining.
Unfortunately, the police had other things in mind, and ran them from the square in the early morning, detaining around twenty of them. But indignation was running high - against the politicians, against the police, against the banks, and against the injustices caused by the crisis. On the seventeenth, people were back in Puerta del Sol, this time to camp out and stay the night. By the next day the number of people had grown into the thousands. Committees were set up to administer daily life in the protest camp and it was decided to remain until at least the local elections, which were to be on the 22nd. Urban protest camps were set up in many other cities, as well. The Spanish Movement of 15-M (15th May) had begun.
The protestors, which numbered in the thousands, ended up remaining in Puerta del Sol until the twelfth of June, when they helped the street cleaners remove all the trash. By then the protests had extended to cities and towns all over Spain and helped spark the Occupy Movement in other countries. In Spain the protest had muted and helped to found the new political party Podemos, which was the embodiment of most of the demands of the original protest movements.
The protests have not died, though. In France a movement began called Nuit Debout. It doesn't have a direct translation to English, the closest would be "vigilant all night." In Spanish the translation would be "noche en pie." It was originally a protest against the flexibilization of labor laws that would strip workers of some of their hard-earned rights. It grew to include protest against the TTIP, demand of a universal living wage, and a closing of the gender wage gap, among others. Protests began the 31st of March and have continued despite police raids. The protests have spread to many French cities and other European cities. Today, there is a call for "Global Debout," to celebrate the anniversary of Spain's 15-M. Tonight in Spanish cities there is a call for citizens to spend the night in city centers in protest. A protest is scheduled for Santiago de Compostela. Our daughter plans to go and stand up for her future, just like the young people in the 60's who once demanded a fair world.
People are sick and tired of politicians and executives in boardrooms deciding what is good for us. People are protesting. We may not get very far, but we will not sit back and let them step on us without complaining.
There is unrest in so many places brought on by abuse of power.
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