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The '''2011 May Spanish protests''', also referred to as the '''15-M Movement''', '''Spanish revolution''' or '''''Indignados''''' ([[Spanish language|Spanish]] for "Outraged") are a series of demonstrations in [[Spain]] whose origin can be traced to [[social networks]] and the ''¡Democracia Real Ya!'' (Real Democracy Right Now!) civilian digital platform, along with 200 other small associations.<ref name="art1">Alcaide, Soledad; ''[http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/05/16/actualidad/1305578500_751064.html 15-M Movement: citizen demand political reconstruction]</ref>
The '''2011 May Spanish protests''', also referred to as the '''15-M Movement''', '''Spanish revolution''' or '''''Indignados''''' ([[Spanish language|Spanish]] for "Outraged") are a series of demonstrations in [[Spain]] whose origin can be traced to [[social networks]] and the ''¡Democracia Real Ya!'' (Real Democracy Now!) civilian digital platform, along with 200 other small associations.<ref name="art1">Alcaide, Soledad; ''[http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/05/16/actualidad/1305578500_751064.html 15-M Movement: citizen demand political reconstruction]</ref>


Starting on 15 May 2011 with an initial call in 58 Spanish cities,<ref name="democraciarealya">¡Democracia Real Ya!; ''[http://democraciarealya.es/?page_id=580 Calls]''</ref> the series of peaceful protests demands a radical change in Spanish politics, as protesters do not consider themselves to be represented by any party nor favoured by the measures approved by politicians. The protests have been staged close to the [[Spanish local and regional elections, 2011|municipal elections]], to be held on May 22. The press has related them to the [[2008–2009 Spanish financial crisis|economic crisis]], [[Stéphane Hessel]]'s ''[[Time for Outrage!]]'',<ref name="art3">El País ''[http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/05/17/opinion/1305625181_425614.html Outraged at streets]''</ref> the [[NEET]] troubled generation and current [[2010–2011 Middle East and North Africa protests|protests in the Middle East and North Africa]],<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/news/world-europe-13437819 BBC News: Egypt-style rally grows in Spain: A protest rally turns an iconic Madrid square into a campsite, echoing the pro-democracy rallies that transformed Egypt.] Retrieved 2011-05-18</ref> [[2010–2011 Greek protests|Greece]], [[2011 Portuguese protests|Portugal]]<ref>{{Cite web| title = "Geração à rasca" é referência para Espanha - JN| accessdate = 2011-05-22| url = http://www.jn.pt/PaginaInicial/Mundo/Interior.aspx?content_id=1857358}}</ref> as well as the [[2009 Icelandic financial crisis protests|Icelandic protest and riots]].<ref name="art9">Gutiérrez, Óscar, from El País; ''[http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/05/17/actualidad/1305661201_570313.html Icelandic saturdays appear on 15-M]</ref>
Starting on 15 May 2011 with an initial call in 58 Spanish cities,<ref name="democraciarealya">¡Democracia Real Ya!; ''[http://democraciarealya.es/?page_id=580 Calls]''</ref> the series of peaceful protests demands a radical change in Spanish politics, as protesters do not consider themselves to be represented by any party nor favoured by the measures approved by politicians. The protests have been staged close to the [[Spanish local and regional elections, 2011|municipal elections]], to be held on May 22. The press has related them to the [[2008–2009 Spanish financial crisis|economic crisis]], [[Stéphane Hessel]]'s ''[[Time for Outrage!]]'',<ref name="art3">El País ''[http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/05/17/opinion/1305625181_425614.html Outraged at streets]''</ref> the [[NEET]] troubled generation and current [[2010–2011 Middle East and North Africa protests|protests in the Middle East and North Africa]],<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/news/world-europe-13437819 BBC News: Egypt-style rally grows in Spain: A protest rally turns an iconic Madrid square into a campsite, echoing the pro-democracy rallies that transformed Egypt.] Retrieved 2011-05-18</ref> [[2010–2011 Greek protests|Greece]], [[2011 Portuguese protests|Portugal]]<ref>{{Cite web| title = "Geração à rasca" é referência para Espanha - JN| accessdate = 2011-05-22| url = http://www.jn.pt/PaginaInicial/Mundo/Interior.aspx?content_id=1857358}}</ref> as well as the [[2009 Icelandic financial crisis protests|Icelandic protest and riots]].<ref name="art9">Gutiérrez, Óscar, from El País; ''[http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/05/17/actualidad/1305661201_570313.html Icelandic saturdays appear on 15-M]</ref>

Revision as of 11:19, 22 May 2011

May 2011 Spanish protests
Puerta del Sol, in Madrid, on May 15 evening
Location
Spain
Caused byUnemployment, Cuts in Welfare state, Political corruption, Particracy, Excluding bipartidism
GoalsUpgrade Spanish democracy, Reduce influence of economic powers in politics
MethodsDemonstrations, sit-ins, civil disobedience
Status15 May - Ongoing

The 2011 May Spanish protests, also referred to as the 15-M Movement, Spanish revolution or Indignados (Spanish for "Outraged") are a series of demonstrations in Spain whose origin can be traced to social networks and the ¡Democracia Real Ya! (Real Democracy Now!) civilian digital platform, along with 200 other small associations.[1]

Starting on 15 May 2011 with an initial call in 58 Spanish cities,[2] the series of peaceful protests demands a radical change in Spanish politics, as protesters do not consider themselves to be represented by any party nor favoured by the measures approved by politicians. The protests have been staged close to the municipal elections, to be held on May 22. The press has related them to the economic crisis, Stéphane Hessel's Time for Outrage!,[3] the NEET troubled generation and current protests in the Middle East and North Africa,[4] Greece, Portugal[5] as well as the Icelandic protest and riots.[6]

Even though protesters form a heterogeneous and ambiguous group, they share a strong rejection of Spanish politicians, the current two-party system in Spain between PSOE and PP and political corruption and a firm support for basic rights: home, work, culture, health, education.[7]

File:Spanishrevolution.jpg
A protester in Madrid with the hashtag #spanishrevolution in his banner. Social networks have played a decisive role in these demonstrations, but Twitter has been the most important by far, with hundreds of tweets per minute in critical moments and some hashtags becoming a rapidly global trending topic, such as #DemocraciaRealYa, #NoLesVotes, #AcampadaSol or #NoNosVamos.

These protests have also appeared at a critical moment: According to the protesters, Spanish youths are more academically qualified than ever before, but face a 50% youth unemployment rate, and 89% of Spaniards think political parties only care about themselves, according to Metroscopia. The protesters' plan is to camp in the main squares of cities until May 22.[8]

Organising the protests

Using Twitter, on May 15th ¡Democracia Real Ya! called for protests to take place in the following places (in alphabetical order): A Coruña, Albacete, Algeciras, Alicante, Almería, Arcos de la Frontera, Badajoz, Barcelona, Bilbao, Burgos, Cáceres, Cádiz, Castellón, Ciudad Real, Córdoba, Cuenca, Ferrol, Figueres, Fuengirola, Granada, Guadalajara, Huelva, Jaén, , Lanzarote, La Palma, León, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Lérida, Logroño, Lugo, Madrid, Málaga, Menorca, Mérida, Monforte de Lemos, Murcia, Ourense, Oviedo, Palma de Mallorca, Pamplona, Plasencia, Ponferrada, Puertollano, Salamanca, San Sebastián, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Santander, Santiago de Compostela, Sevilla, Soria, Tarragona, Toledo, Torrevieja, Ubrique, Valencia, Valladolid, Vigo, Vitoria and Zaragoza.[2]

On 17 May, the ¡Democracia Real Ya! Website, responsible for organising the 15 May demonstration, had the support of over 500 diverse associations, whilst continuing to reject any collaboration from any political party or labour union, defending the protests’ independence from all institutionalised political ideology.

Protests

May 15

Plaça Catalunya, in Barcelona, on May 18th

The first protest, on 15 May, was focused on opposition to what the protestors called "antisocial means in the hands of bankers", which referred to the changes Spain made in 2010 to contain the European financial crisis through bailout of the banks that society saw as responsible for the crisis, while at the same time announcing social program cutbacks. Protests took place in Madrid, Barcelona, Murcia, Granada, Malaga, Santiago de Compostela, Alicante and Valencia.[7]

Only in Madrid did the protests result in violent incidents which, according to the protestors were not connected to the protests. Protestors momentarily cut off traffic on Gran Via, the main street of Madrid, but were rapidly dispersed by a group of anti-riot police officers.[3]

The march in Madrid that day brought together, according to the National Police, about 20,000 protestors.[3] It is estimated that the protestors that day were followed by about 130,000 people throughout Spain.[9] The protests, against all expectation, spread greatly through the press. The Washington Post mentioned the news that same day.[10]

In Granada, up to 5,000 protestors showed up, according to the newspaper Ideal,[11] and the protest took place without incident, except for an exchange of insults between some protestors and members of the Fraternity of the Virgin of Rosario, whose procession overlapped with the end of the protest after the latter had gone on longer than expected.[12]

May 16

In Puerta del Sol, protestors camped out during the night on May 15; the campers were attacked during the early morning on May 16.[13][14] Altercations took place in a variety of neighborhoods in Madrid, far from the pacifistic spirit of the protest, whose core group of protestors deplored these actions. The violent protestors destroyed public spaces, cut off traffic on Gran Vía and confronted the police. 24 arrests [15] took place along with 18 hearings and a few injuries, which in turn provoked a larger protest demanding their release.[13][14] They were finally released on bail.

Various organizations, like Ecologistas en Acción, publicly condemned the escalation of the protests caused by the police.[16]

May 17

17 May, at night in Puerta del Sol

Large groups of demonstrators returned to protest in various cities, standing apart from the group in Madrid in Puerta del Sol. This time the protests were not called together by ¡Democracia Real Ya!.[14] In a few cities, the police permitted the protestors to camp out, as took place in A Coruña, where more than 1,000 people arrived on the 15th.[13] In Madrid, about 200 protestors organized into an assembly, during which they decided to organize themselves for spending the night in Plaza del Sol, creating cleaning, communication, extension, materials and legal committees. Previously they had received a great deal of help from small businesses in the form of food.[17][18] In the evening more than 12,000 people were gathered there.[14]

Protests and nighttime camp-outs took place in 30 cities.[19] The protests gained the support of people in the United Kingdom, who announced that they would sit outside of the Spanish embassy from the 18th until the 22nd of May.[19] The protest in Plaza del Sol on the night of the 17th of May consisted of about 4,000 people according to the authorities. 300 of them stayed until the dawn of May 18.[18]

May 18

18th May, early morning

In Madrid, the protestors put up a large carp canopy beneath which they passed out signs with the intention of spending the night there between the 17th and 18 May. According to a reporter from El País, many of them wore carnations, much as took place during the Portuguese Carnation Revolution. In addition, they organized a food stand which provided food donated by local businesses and set up a webcam to provide news from Plaza del Sol through the website Ustream. The protestors were advised not to drink alcohol or to organize into groups of more than 20 people, as these acts could provoke a legal police crackdown.

The police ordered protestors to disperse in Valencia, Tenerife and Las Palmas. During the evacuation of the Plaza del Carmen in Granada there were 3 arrests.[18][20][21] Speeches continued on throughout the afternoon. The protests grew to include León, Sevilla, where a camp out started as of May 19,[18] and in other provincial capitals and cities of Spain. Support groups were created on social networks for each camp out through the social network Twitter and other national and international networks. Google Docs and other servers began to receive download requests for documents needed to legally request permission for new protests.

In the morning, the Federación de Asociaciones de Vecinos de Barcelona (FAVB) announced their support of the protests in Barcelona.[22] In Madrid, an activist created a flag that depicts a sun and a hand over a black background, which serves as an emblem for the protests, according to Belén Hernández at El País.

In addition to The Washington Post, which covered the protests on May 15, news reports took place on the 18th in various media outlets, among them Le Monde, the most widely circulated newspaper in French, in an article which noted the rarity of such large scale protests in Spain.[23] The German newspaper, Der Spiegel, noted the importance of the effects of what has been called "The Facebook Generation" and the youth on the protests.[24] The Portuguese paper Jornal de Notícias, reported on the protests in Madrid on May 18 as soon as it was known that they had been prohibited.[25] And the New York Times, which cited El País and noted the strong organization of the protestors, particularly the 200 people who had been placed in charge of security and the use of Twitter to ensure dissemination of their message.[26] The Washington Post again reported on the protests in Puerta del Sol, giving them the name of a "revolution" and estimating the presence of 10,000 people on Wednesday afternoon's protest and comparing it with those in Cairo's Tahrir Square, which had recently ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.[27] The BBC made reference to the peaceful nature of the protests in Puerta del Sol.[28]

The various protests agreed to hold meetings between their organizing committees each day at 1pm and assemblies at 8pm.[29]

In the evening, the President of the Regional Electoral Committee of Madrid issued a statement declaring the protests illegal because "calls for a responsible vote can change the results of the elections".[30] Police units at Sol, however, received orders from the Government Delegation not to take out any further action.[31]

May 20

Protests and tents in Madrid on 20 May.

According to Britain's The Guardian, "tens of thousands" had camped out in Madrid and throughout the country on the 19–20 May night.[32]

United Left appealed the Electoral Board's decision to ban the protests before Spain's Supreme Court,[33] to which the State Prosecution presented its arguments shortly after.[34]

Appeal before the Supreme Court

Spain's public broadcaster, RTVE reported that the State Prosecutor upheld the decision taken by the Central Electoral Board[35] to ban the rallies.[36] Meanwhile, the police announced that they had been given instructions not to dissolve the crowd at Puerta del Sol on the condition that there was no disturbance of the peace.[37]

Appeal before the Tribunal Constitucional

RTVE later reported that the country's Constitutional Court had been deliberating since 7.30pm whether to review an appeal against the decision of the Central Electoral Board.[38] At 10.08 pm (local time), RTVE informed that the Constitutional had rejected the appeal on the formality that the appellant had not appealed first to the Supreme Court.[39]

At 22:47 United Left announced it would appeal the Supreme Court's decision before the Tribunal Constitucional. They have until midnight.[40]

At around 23:00, some 16,000 people (according to the police) and 19,000 (according to other sources) were gathered at and around Puerta del Sol.[41]

May 21

In Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga and other cities 21 May started with a minute of silence followed by cheers and applause.[42] Smaller cities, such as Granada, decided to start before midnight to avoid disturbing the neighbors. These protests occurred even though protests on the day before elections are banned.[43]

Around 28,000 people, according to the police, crowded Puerta del Sol and the neighboring streets despite the prohibition. Other cities also gathered large numbers of people: 10,000 in Valencia, 7,000 in Malaga, 6,000 in Zaragoza, 4,000 in Seville, 1,500 in Granada, 800 in Almeria, 600 in Cadiz, 200 in Huelva, around 100 in Jaen. 8,000 people gathered in Barcelona, 1,000 in Vigo, 3,000 in Bilbao, 2,000 in Oviedo, 2,000 in Gijón, around 800 in Avilés, 3,000 in Palma.[42]

Reactions

Political response

The demonstration triggered reactions from the main political parties, who after debating issued statements on 16 May. On 15 May, the day of the first demonstration, almost every party was willing to be quoted on the situation.[44] Jaime Mayor Oreja, Member of the European Parliament representing the Partido Popular, was critical of the protesters’ alleged intention of not casting ballots on the forthcoming election. So was PSOE member and Minister of Public Works and Transport José Blanco.[45] United Left had a positive view of the protestors’ demands, but admitted not having been capable of connecting to them. The party’s political coordinator Cayo Lara, defended the protestors’ refusal to become a “lost generation” and was critical of their removal from the Puerta del Sol on 16 May.[46] Other politicians, such as José Antonio Griñán, showed sympathy for the protests, while insisting in that not voting is not a solution. Esteban González Pons, general vicesecretary of the Partido Popular linked the demonstrations to the “antisystem far left”.[47]

Former prime minister Felipe González compared the protests, which he considered "an extraordinarily important phenomenon",[48] with those staged in Arab countries,[49] pointing out that " in the Arab world they are demanding the right to vote while here they are saying that voting is pointless".[48]

References

  1. ^ Alcaide, Soledad; 15-M Movement: citizen demand political reconstruction
  2. ^ a b ¡Democracia Real Ya!; Calls Cite error: The named reference "democraciarealya" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c El País Outraged at streets
  4. ^ BBC News: Egypt-style rally grows in Spain: A protest rally turns an iconic Madrid square into a campsite, echoing the pro-democracy rallies that transformed Egypt. Retrieved 2011-05-18
  5. ^ ""Geração à rasca" é referência para Espanha - JN". Retrieved 2011-05-22.
  6. ^ Gutiérrez, Óscar, from El País; Icelandic saturdays appear on 15-M
  7. ^ a b El País; Outraged gather thousands all around Spain Cite error: The named reference "art2" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  8. ^ M. Ruiz, Rosa; from El Diario Montañés; [1]
  9. ^ ¡Democracia Real Ya!; Comunicado de prensa de "Democracia Real Ya", 17 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el 18 de mayo de 2011).
  10. ^ The Washington Post (en inglés); Tens of thousands march in Spain to protest against austerity measures, banks, politicians, 15 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el 18 de mayo de 2011).
  11. ^ Artículo en el diario Ideal.
  12. ^ Artículo en el diario Ideal.
  13. ^ a b c La Voz de Galicia; Varias acampadas reavivan las movilizaciones de «indignados» en Galicia, 17 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el mismo día).
  14. ^ a b c d El Diario Montañés; Miles de 'indignados' vuelven a tomar la Puerta del Sol, 17 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el mismo día)
  15. ^ Informativos Telecinco; La manifestación de 'Indignados' termina con 24 detenidos y cinco policías heridos, 16 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el 18 de mayo de 2011).
  16. ^ Ecologistas en Acción; Condena del levatamiento por la fuerza del Campamento de Sol, 17 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el 18 de mayo de 2011).
  17. ^ Pérez-Lanzac, Carmen, de El País; Indignados y acampados, 17 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el mismo día).
  18. ^ a b c d Muñoz Lara, Aurora, de El País; El movimiento 15-M abarrota Sol, 18 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el mismo día).
  19. ^ a b El Mundo; Acampadas en cadena hasta el próximo 22-M, 17 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el mismo día).
  20. ^ Ideal.es; La Policía Nacional retira a los 'indignados' acampados en la Plaza del Carmen de Granada (consultado el 18 de mayo de 2011).
  21. ^ Ideal.es; Tres 'indignados' detenidos tras el desalojo en la Plaza del Carmen de Granada (consultado el 18 de mayo de 2011).
  22. ^ Federación de Asociaciones de Vecinos de Barcelona (en catalán); La Favb crida a recolzar l'acampada de plaça Catalunya, 18 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el mismo día).
  23. ^ Le Monde (en francés); Les jeunes Espagnols dans la rue pour clamer leur ras-le-bol, 18 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el mismo día).
  24. ^ Der Spiegel (en alemán); Job-Misere treibt Spaniens Jugend auf die Straße, 18 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el mismo día).
  25. ^ Jornal de Notícias (en portugués); Manifestação proibida no centro de Madrid, 18 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el mismo día).
  26. ^ The New York Times (en inglés); Protesters Rally in Madrid Despite Ban, 18 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el 19 de mayo de 2011).
  27. ^ The Washington Post; Spanish revolution: Thousands gather in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol Square, 18 de mayo del 2011 (consultado el mismo día).
  28. ^ BBC News: «Egypt-style rally grows in Spain: A protest rally turns an iconic Madrid square into a campsite, echoing the pro-democracy rallies that transformed Egypt.» Consultado el 18 de mayo de 2011
  29. ^ El País; Un ágora instalado en el kilómetro 0, 18 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el mismo día).
  30. ^ Elpais.es; Acuerdo de la Junta Electoral Provincial de Madrid
  31. ^ elEconomista.es ; La Policía tiene la orden de no desalojar Sol
  32. ^ The Guardian: "Spain bans young protesters ahead of elections - Tens of thousands have been camping out in Madrid and dozens of other Spanish cities to protest over cuts and lack of jobs" Retrieved 2011-05-20
  33. ^ IU ha presentado ante el Tribunal Supremo un recurso contra la decisión de la Junta Electoral Central, 20 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el mismo día).
  34. ^ El País; El Supremo delibera sobre el recurso de IU, al que se opone la Fiscalía, 20 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el mismo día).
  35. ^ RTVE.es "La Fiscalía respalda la decisión de la JEC de prohibir las movilizaciones el sábado y el domingo" Retrieved 2011-05-20
  36. ^ Documento oficial de la desestimación del recurso presentado por Izquierda Unida, 20 de mayo de 2011] Retrieved 2011-05-20
  37. ^ Europa Press; La Policía no desalojará la Puerta del Sol mientras no haya incidentes, 20 de mayo de 2011] Retrieved 2011-05-20
  38. ^ "Sala Segunda del Constitucional estudia desde las 19.30 hora peninsular si admite a trámite el recurso de amparo interpuesto por un abogado de Murcia contra la decisión de la JEC." Retrieved 2011-05-20
  39. ^ 22.08 "El Tribunal Constitucional rechaza admitir el recurso del abogado de Murcia porque no ha agotado todas las vías. Retrieved 2011-05-20
  40. ^ RTVE: 22.47 Izquierda Unida presentará antes de la medianoche un recurso de amparo ante el Tribunal Constitucional Retrieved 2011-05-20
  41. ^ RTVE
  42. ^ a b El País; http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/05/20/actualidad/1305920877_763863.html, May 21, 2011.
  43. ^ "Thousand Defy Protest Ban to Rally Ahead of Spanish Elections". Voice of America. 21 May 2011. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
  44. ^ Ríos, Sara, de 20minutos; La mayoría de partidos miran para el otro lado y evitan pronunciarse sobre las protestas, 16 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el 28 de mayo de 2011).
  45. ^ La Voz de Galicia; «Democracia real ya» hace reaccionar a los dos principales partidos, 16 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el 17 de mayo de 2011).
  46. ^ La Voz de Galicia; Cayo Lara: «Zapatero ha traído más beneficios para los amos y la porra para los de abajo», 17 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el mismo día).
  47. ^ 20minutos; González Pons vincula a parte de 'Democracia Real Ya' con la "extrema izquierda del PSOE", 17 de mayo de 2011 (consultado el 18 de mayo de 2011).
  48. ^ a b Ideal.es; Felipe González, sobre los 'indignados': "Están hartos, los partidos no deberían descalificarlos" 17 de mayo de 2011 Retrieved 2011-05-17.
  49. ^ Ideal.es; Felipe González compara a los 'indignados' con los protagonistas de las revueltas árabes 18 de mayo de 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
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External links

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