Sunday, May 22, 2011

The fight back continues and grows

Protests against Spain's economic crisis took a new turn as social media networks fueled calls for demonstrators to take to the streets. Demonstrators are protesting Spain's 21% unemployment rate and a record 4.9 million jobless.Nearly 1 in 2 young people are unemployed. Protesters say a plethora of temporary labour contracts offer few or no job benefits. On 15th May 2011, around 150,000 people ( dubbed "los indignados" - the indignant) ,took to the streets in 60 Spanish towns and cities to demand “Real Democracy Now”, marching under the slogan “We are not commodities in the hands of bankers and politicians”. The protest was organised through web-based social networks without the involvement of any major unions or political parties and are now on their sixth day of demonstrations

Elena Ortega, who says she's managed to find only a part-time secretarial job, helped spread the word on Facebook about the protests .
"If this is happening, it's because the unions weren't doing what was needed, when it was needed. They haven't delivered," she said. She is worried about her 20-year-old son, who has only found temporary jobs in the past four years.

Alicia, an unemployed psychologist told Channel 4 News: "This is not specifically a movement against the current government. It's against the system. Against the way bankers and large businesses have been given carte blanche to do as they wish. It's a movement against politicians of any sign who look after their interests rather than ours, who embark on absurd electoral campaigns where they bring up irrelevant issues to try to win voters and attack their opponents, when we're more concerned about getting a job and getting back our earning power."

A regular WSM Forum poster describes how in Granada a relatively small city and traditionally somewhat conservative, "There were a succession of speakers making short snappy contributions. My Spanish is not great and my hearing is even worse but, from what I gathered. there was a very strong determination to ensure that the whole thing remained peaceful and democratic and not be subverted for violent purposes (interestingly enough, I only spotted a single cop car parked discretely in a back street). Something Ive never come before either was a form of instant feedback to speeches from the crowd by means of hand signals. Agreement was signified by raising arms and flapping hands, disagrement by crossing arms at the wrist and when you were really pissed off with the speaker and wanted someone else to speak you rotated your arms around each other. Really bizarre to look at - but effective."
He goes on to observe that
"The Real Democracy movement sweeping Spain is essentially a reformist movement but I think it is more than that. It is, or at least seems to be on the way to signifying, a cultural transformation - the utter exhaustion of capitalist politics compounded by years of city hall corruption that has engulfed both the main PSOE and PP parties (Spain has 3-4 millions homes standing empty, a living testament to the recklessness and stupidity of urban speculation). The Real Democracy strikes me very much as being a groundswell movement of ordinary people , not just students, who are just sick and tired of the empty platitudes of the politicans and grubbiness and greed of the banks."

4 comments:

ajohnstone said...

The really impressive thing about events (as I learn them in Belfast, N.Ireland) is the lack of that lunacy that seems to think that you educate people by throwing stones at cops and breaking windows. The state and its coercive arms will be anxious to obfuscate the grass roots claim for the needs of the producers of all real wealth to be our first priority and not the stock exchange gamblers and gangsters. If the fervour for meaningful social revolution spreads it is vital that we 'lead' ourselves and don't create opportunities for another genre of left-wing political reformers bent on political careers and that we do not allow provocateurs to create conditions in which it will appear 'reasonable' to use cops or soldiers - really economic or emotional conscripts to capitalist violence - against us. One World and One People owning and democratically controlling their means of life!
fenianmcprod

See http://tinyurl.com/4ynvh4m

ajohnstone said...

The above was a personal comment by a socialist i thought should be posted .

ajohnstone said...

Our socialist eyewitness to som of the events unfolding in Spain writes on the WSM_Forum

Whats happening is not a revolution and its a sloppy use of the term to describe it thus. It is essentially a reformist protest movement that we are talking about. However, and having said that, there are some positive things to be said about these developments in Spain.

It has certainly brought about a kind of heightened awareness and a greater willingness to at least consider new ideas. I mentioned specifically that in my local city of Granada there was some discussion within the large (many hundreds of people!)encampment meetings at the Town Hall square of a society without money. This surely signifies something positive from a socialist viewpoint. The other big thing I like about it all is the generalised feeling that we cannot leave it up to politicians to do things for us now. In fact there is a sense of massive distrust of politicans and a conviction that it is up to ordinary people to reclaim their power and fashion their own future. This came across very strongly in the march I attended on 15 May under the slogan "we are not commodities in the hands of the politicans and the bankers". Thats a pretty powerful and liberatory message that is being sent out there.

Frankly, its has been quite inspiring for me to witness this process of self organisation of ordinary workers - not just students and young people - unfolding and though I cannot speak of elsewhere in Spain, at least here in Granada I have been impressed by the scrupulous commitment to open inclusive and democratic procedures. Actually, if I recall even a government spokesperson complimented the demonstrators, nationally, on their civil behaviour and it is only a reckless few who have played into the hands of the state by initiating violence in one or two isolated incidents. The great bulk of the violence has come from the forces of the state forcibly breaking up encampments in places like Barcelona

Apropos that, there is an interesting quote I came across from someone called Cossiga, who was Christian Democrat Minister of the Interior in Italy in the 1970s, later President of the Republic, and now life Senator, who when asked what should be done about students' demonstrations, answered:

"Let them get on with it for a while. Withdraw the police from the streets and campuses, infiltrate the movement with agents provocateurs who are ready for anything, and leave the demonstrators for about ten days as they devastate shops, burn cars and turn the cities upside down. After that, having gained the support of the population – making sure that the noise of the ambulance sirens is louder than those of the police and carabinieri – the forces of order should ruthlessly attack the students and send them to hospital. Don't arrest them, as the judges will only release them immediately; just beat them up and also the professors who foment the movement."

http://www.marxist.com/spain-rebellion-of-youth.htm

Thats food for thought. This has not really happened here in Spain and i think the state realises it lacks the authority to get too heavy handed. One ruse it tried was to declare the protests illegal with the autonomous and municpal elections pending but this didnt work. The protestors stayed put in their encampments , defiant in their peaceful civil disobedience.

The elections are now over and as expected the rightwing PP did well trouncing the pseudo socialists everywhere. Even Sevilla a stronghold of the PSOE fell to the PP for the first time ever.

The Movement for Real Democracy, as it is called, has vowed to continue its protest for at least another week. After that I dont know what will happen but I will be keeping an ear to the ground at least here in my local city of Granada...

Anonymous said...

Hi Alan,
The WSM link in "A regular WSM Forum poster describes" just leads to yahoo email!
Try http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/WSM_Forum/message/46934

cheers
Rob W