Protests in Spain 2011/2012

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Demonstration, Puerta del Sol , Madrid , May 20, 2011

The protests in Spain in 2011/2012 were spontaneous, partisan demonstrations criticizing social, economic and political grievances. Spanish media also refer to them as Movimiento 15-M ('Movement 15 May') or Indignados ('Outraged'), and some international media also refer to them as the 'Spanish Revolution'. They organized themselves to a large extent in social networks ; they were closely related to the political movement ¡Democracia Real Ya! ('Real Democracy Now!') And are considered to be the origin of the left-wing alternative party Podemos , which was founded in 2014.

development

The nationwide protests began on May 15, 2011 with a call in 58 Spanish cities. In mid-May they received support from over 200 associations; at the end of May the number grew to around 500 initiatives. From May 18, several mass demonstrations were held under the motto “¡Democracia real ya!” And nationwide protest camps were set up. The “May 15th Movement” also manifested itself as a serious political force towards the end of May. Own structures outside of the internet, where the campaign originated, have already been set up.

On May 27, during the attempted evacuation of the Plaça de Catalunya in Barcelona , the police for the first time violently used batons and rubber bullets against demonstrators, which was officially justified by the fact that the space should be cleared for cleaners. Police beat seated demonstrators. There were more than 120 injured.

On May 29, the hitherto very diffuse movement announced that it would organize itself in a decentralized manner in the future. It was also made clear on May 30, 2011 that as Movimiento 15-M you can participate in the ¡Democracia real ya! sees connected, but the two movements are not to be confused. “We are like brothers,” explained the movements. While Movimiento 15-M penetrated many districts and communities in Spain, the ¡Democracia real ya! (DRY) a worldwide mobilization until October 15, 2011 to draw attention to democratic deficits. On May 30th, public citizens' forums were established in some large squares in Spain, in which the common goals of the movement were discussed and voted on.

During an award ceremony on May 31, 2011 in Pamplona , a 15-M activist - lawyer and Basque teacher Laura Pérez Ruano - asked Crown Prince Felipe whether he would be “decent enough” if he were to be crowned, a referendum on the To propose the form of government of Spain. Felipe replied that it was not up to him to initiate such a referendum.

On June 7, 2011, the activists in Madrid decided to lift the permanent occupation of the Puerta del Sol , which had been in existence since May 15, on June 12, which is what happened. The occupation of public spaces in other large cities has also ended, while the occupations in Barcelona and elsewhere continued. The movement was not over, it was said, the demands would be upheld. On June 19, 2011 there were rallies in more than 80 Spanish cities. In Madrid alone, hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated against the economic and monetary policy of the European Union. The ¡Democracia Real Ya! subsequently reiterated the protests planned for October 15 worldwide. The protests have taken place every year since 2011. Six protest marching groups from different Spanish regions took part in the protest marches for the anniversary in 2014, as well as 29 demonstration marches from different parts of Madrid.

Causes and backgrounds of the protest movement

The origin of the demonstrators is heterogeneous and their political views cannot be assigned to any particular political camp. They do not feel represented by the ruling two-party system of Partido Popular (PP) and Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE). In particular, it is criticized that numerous politicians stood on the lists of both parties for the regional elections on May 22nd, who were accused of corruption and in some cases convicted for it. The state's handling of the financial crisis and high unemployment, especially among well-qualified young Spaniards ( Generación Cero or Generación ni-ni ), are also criticized .

The aim of the demonstrators is a change in Spanish politics and society. In addition to the end of corruption, they demand an improvement in the situation of young people, according to their manifesto, in particular through respect for the basic rights to housing, work, culture, health, education, political participation, free personal development and a right to secure basic needs.

So far, no spokesmen have distinguished themselves. The movement started from Madrid, but it has spread across the country and no leading center can be identified. So there is no single manifesto , but several that have been decided in different cities. The protest movement has so far remained non-violent.

The protests were influenced by the events of the Arab Spring , as well as the protests in Greece and Iceland in 2008. In addition, they refer (in the self-designation Indignados ('indignant')) to the book Outraged! of the French resistance fighter Stéphane Hessel , who calls for resistance against financial capitalism.

The frequently recurring claim that the movement originated in social networks was countered by the sociologist César Rendueles, saying that this view devalued the political content of the protests. This interpretation of the development is also incorrect in the Arab world, where only a comparatively small part of the population has access to the Internet at all. It is also linked to the assertion that advanced western technology is helping backward Islamic societies to achieve democracy. Both in the Arab region and in Spain, the protests ultimately went back to communitarian structures, without which further communication in social networks could not have developed.

Political reactions

Because of the upcoming regional and local elections on May 22nd, the protests were banned for May 21st by the 13-member electoral commission under a law that bans election rallies the day before the election. The decision was made with a majority of one vote. The government and police tolerated the peaceful protests that day.

The demonstrations sparked reactions from major political parties, who issued statements after deliberations on May 16. On May 15, the first day of the demonstration, all parties wished to be quoted on the situation. Jaime Mayor Oreja , Member of the European Parliament (PP), criticized the alleged intention of the demonstrators not to cast votes in the upcoming elections, as did the Minister for Infrastructure Development, José Blanco López ( PSOE ). The Izquierda Unida ('United Left') took a positive view of the protesters' demands, but admitted that they could not mediate with them. Party member Cayo Lara defended the demonstrators' refusal to surrender to a fate of the “lost generation” and criticized the ban on demonstrations on May 16. Other politicians such as José Antonio Griñán showed sympathy for the protests but insisted that not voting was not the solution. Estéban González Pons , Vice Secretary General of the PP, linked the demonstrations with “left-wing extremists who are hostile to the system”. Former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe González compared the protests, which he considered “a particularly important phenomenon”, to those in the Arab countries, noting that “they [the demonstrators] are demanding the right to vote in the Arab world as they say here that elections are pointless ”.

The protests in Spain led to a discussion about early elections. On July 29, 2011, Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (PSOE) announced new elections for November 2011 in response to the uncertain economic situation . It is unclear whether there is any connection to the protests.

New party: Podemos

A new party called Podemos emerged from the protests in early 2014 . After an election campaign financed by crowdfunding , Podemos ran for the first time in the 2014 European elections, in which it immediately received 7.97% of the vote. According to polls in October 2014, in which Podemos came in at 27.7% (ahead of the traditional large parties PSOE (26.2%) and Partido Popular (20.7%)), the party came in at 20.66 in the Spanish general elections in 2015 %.

International response

A transfer of the idea of ​​movement together with the mobilization strategy used in Spain can also be observed in other European countries. In Greece , the "indignant of Syntagma Square" ( Greek : Aganaktismenoi ) organized demonstrations with several thousand participants from May 27th. A tent city was built in Athens based on the Spanish model .

In Portugal , a protest movement called M12M (Movimento 12 de Março) was formed on March 12th . On May 25, the protest movement held a major demonstration in Lisbon . A solidarity rally took place in Paris on May 29, 2011. About 5000 people attended the event. On August 20, 2011, a tent camp took place on Alexanderplatz in Berlin , which was repeatedly evacuated by the police. The sometimes violent action by the officials was criticized. After about a week, the camp was abandoned and regular demonstrations were announced instead.

As an overarching idea of ​​the protests it can be observed that especially the younger part of the activists describes themselves as the “lost generation”. In particular, the effects of the financial crisis and the often bleak future prospects for the 20 to 30-year-old generation in many parts of Europe are perceived as an unacceptable evil. The mostly young activists who are at the center of the movement receive support from broad sections of society. The Occupy movement also refers to the Spanish protests and has taken over one of its organizational structures with the Asamblea .

2012 anniversary rallies

On May 12, 2012, rallies took place in several Spanish cities on the first anniversary of the start of the protests. In downtown Madrid, the Puerta del Sol was held by several thousand people, despite police requests to vacate the square by midnight. At least 45,000 protesters were estimated in Barcelona. There were also Occupy protests in London, Frankfurt and Tel Aviv .

As in the previous year, meetings were held, but this time within a limited time frame and with the purpose of agreeing on specific procedures that had been worked out by the various commissions in recent months. So it came about B. to publish a " Plan de Rescate Ciudadano " ("Citizen Rescue Plan "), which underpins the demands with alternative solutions from the economic crisis. The plan makes critical reference to previous, unpopular bank bailouts, which contradict the sharp cuts in social spending. The five key points are:

  • "Not one euro more for bank bailouts"
  • "Comprehensive, public, free and adequate education and health services"
  • “Against the precariousness of the labor market. Distribution of wealth "
  • "For guaranteed, dignified living conditions"
  • "Transparency, network democracy and civil liberties"

The five demands of the civil rescue plan are based on the example of the Icelandic Revolution 2008–2009 , in which five core demands were also resolved and served as a guide for the protests.

literature

  • Nikolai Huke: Crisis Protests in Spain. Between self-organization and attack on institutions , Münster 2016, ISBN 978-3-96042-006-4 .
  • Nikolai Huke: You don't represent us. Social movements and crises of democracy in Spain , Münster 2017, ISBN 978-3-89691-103-2 .

Web links

Commons : Spanish Protests 2011-2012  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Spanish Revolution. Süddeutsche Zeitung , May 19, 2011, accessed on May 21, 2011 . ; Handelsblatt: Spanish Revolution
  2. How corruption, cuts and despair drove Spain's protesters on to the streets. The Guardian , May 21, 2011, accessed May 29, 2011 .
  3. 'Yes we camp' activists hit Spanish streets. Al Jazeera , May 22, 2011, accessed May 29, 2011 .
  4. ¡Democracia Real YA! (No longer available online.) Internet presence of the protest movement, May 15, 2011, archived from the original on June 18, 2011 ; Retrieved May 21, 2011 (Spanish). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / democraciarealya.es
  5. ^ Movimiento 15-M: los ciudadanos exigen reconstruir la política. El País , May 17, 2011, accessed May 21, 2011 (Spanish).
  6. www.faz.net: Handbook of surprise by Paul Ingendaay on faz.net, May 24, 2011
  7. le-bohemien.net Europe on the street live ticker “Spanish Revolution”, accessed May 30, 2011
  8. www.taz.de: The movement will be decentralized , May 29, 2011
  9. a b Police in Barcelona use force against protests by fdi / dpa on Spiegel online, May 27, 2011
  10. blogs.nytimes.com: Witnesses posted video and photographs online of the police hitting seated protesters.
  11. El Movimiento 15-M se descentraliza ( Memento of the original from June 1, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / movimiento15m.org
  12. ^ Democracia Real Ya y Movimiento 15-M, diferentes pero "hermanos"
  13. elpais.com : El Movimiento 15-M resiste en las acampadas y crece por los barrios
  14. Democracia Real Ya prepara una convocatoria mundial para el 15 de octubre
  15. Informativo 30 de Mayo - Video recording of the so-called "Asamblea General" of the Citizens' Forum on May 29, 2011
  16. Martin Dahms: Change on the Spanish throne - The subjects want to be asked. In: Stuttgarter-Zeitung.de , June 18, 2014.
  17. a b FAZ.net June 13, 2011 / Leo Wieland: "Outraged" dismantle tents. But early elections in Spain?
  18. ^ March on Parliament. taz.de, accessed on June 21, 2011 .
  19. A dream has come true. taz.de, accessed on June 21, 2011 (interview with a co-founder of ¡Democracia Real Ya! ).
  20. “March of Dignity” towards Madrid In: Strandgazette.com. March 22, 2014. Accessed the same day.
  21. Reiner Wandler: Politically homeless . In: taz. May 23, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  22. Overview of corruption cases in the NoLesVotes Wiki. Retrieved June 16, 2011 (Spanish).
  23. Somos la generación Cero in: El País of March 29, 2009, accessed on March 27, 2012 (Spanish)
  24. Generación 'ni-ni': ni estudia ni trabaja in: El País from June 22, 2009, accessed on March 27, 2012 (Spanish)
  25. What drives Spain's youth onto the streets. Handelsblatt, May 31, 2011, accessed on June 16, 2011 .
  26. La Junta Electoral de Madrid prohíbe la concentración en la Puerta del Sol. El País, May 18, 2011, accessed May 21, 2011 (Spanish).
  27. La manifestación de 'indignados' reúne a varios miles de personas en toda España. El País, May 15, 2011, accessed May 21, 2011 (Spanish).
  28. Spanish protests in English . Posting on the nettime-l mailing list. May 22, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2011. References : #takethesquare #globalcamp . Blog post. May 22, 2011. Retrieved on May 25, 2011: "... Plain facts: on Sunday 15th May a big demonstration took place in Madrid, following a call initiated by the group Democracia Real Ya (Real Democracy Now). After the demonstration, some people decided to go on with the protest, spending the night in Plaza del Sol. This was the beginning of what we now call Acampada Sol (Sol Camp). During the next days, more people joined Acampada Sol and camps began to spread all over the country. Right now there is one in every main city. Decisions are taken by local assemblies, open to everyone willing to participate. The movement is: 1. horizontal and decentralized: there are no leaders or representatives, and 2. non-violent. Since the movement gathers a variety of groups and individuals, there is not just one manifesto, but many. ... "(English).
  29. ^ Movimiento 15-M: los ciudadanos exigen reconstruir la política. El País, May 17, 2011, accessed May 21, 2011 (Spanish).
  30. La prensa internacional compara ya la 'spanish revolution' con las protestas de Egipto. 20 minutos, May 19, 2011, accessed May 21, 2011 (Spanish).
  31. Los sábados de Islandia llegaron al 15-M. El País, May 17, 2011, accessed May 21, 2011 (Spanish).
  32. Indignados en la calle. El País, May 17, 2011, accessed May 21, 2011 (Spanish).
  33. Sociologist on Spanish protests: “That has never happened before” . Interview in: taz. June 20, 2011. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  34. Despite a ban, protests continue in Spain. Die Zeit , May 21, 2011, accessed on May 21, 2011 .
  35. Sasa Ríos, 20minutos: La mayoría de partidos miran para el otro lado y evitan pronunciarse sobre las protestas , May 16, 2011, accessed on May 18, 2011 (Spanish).
  36. ^ "Democracia real ya" hace reaccionar a los dos principales partidos . Lavozdegalicia.es. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  37. La Voz de Galicia; Cayo Lara: "Zapatero ha traído más beneficios para los amos y la porra para los de abajo" ( Memento of the original from May 22, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , May 17, 2011, Retrieved May 17, 2011 (Spanish). @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.lavozdegalicia.es
  38. ^ González Pons vincula a parte de "Democracia Real Ya" con la "extrema izquierda del PSOE" . 20minutos.es. May 17, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  39. a b Ideal.es: Felipe González, sobre los “indignados”: “Están hartos, los partidos no deberían descalificarlos” , May 17, 2011, accessed on May 17, 2011 (Spanish).
  40. Ideal.es: Felipe González compara a los "indignados" con los protagonistas de las revueltas árabes , May 18, 2011, accessed on May 18, 2011 (Spanish).
  41. ^ Cerstin Gammelin , Javier Cáceres: New elections in Spain - government surrenders to the debt crisis. Süddeutsche Zeitung, July 29, 2011, accessed on August 15, 2011 .
  42. Joaquín Vera: 'Crowdfunding' para campañas electorales de bajo coste . German: Crowdfunding for low-cost election campaigns. In: El Mundo . May 16, 2014 ( online [accessed June 24, 2014]).
  43. Fernando Garea: Podemos supera a PSOE y PP y rompe el tablero electoral . In: El País . 
  44. “Outraged by Syntagma Square” in Greece want to conquer all of Europe ”  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Greece Newspaper, May 27, 2011, accessed May 31, 2011@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.griechenland.net  
  45. ^ "In Greece, thousands are taking to the streets again" , NZZ Online, May 30, 2011
  46. 300 Greeks against the Troika , Der Tagesspiegel, May 30, 2011
  47. "Portugal pierde a una generation"
  48. Video recording of a demonstration by Democracia Verdadeira Já! on May 29, 2011 in Lisbon
  49. Video recording of the solidarity event in Paris on May 29, 2011
  50. ^ Report in the blog of the movement on August 21, 2011, accessed on September 3, 2011
  51. ^ After evacuation: Protest campers call for a new rally. Tagesspiegel, August 28, 2011, accessed on September 3, 2011 .
  52. On Alexanderplatz: Protest campers take a break. Tagesspiegel, August 29, 2011, accessed on September 3, 2011 .
  53. ZDF foreign journal on May 25, 2011 about the protest movement in Spain
  54. ^ Occupy movement - focus on taz.de. taz.de, accessed on February 11, 2012 .
  55. Spain's 'Indignants' mark protest anniversary . In: BBC News. May 12, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  56. Plan de Rescate Ciudadano Summary of the citizen rescue plan and explanation of possible ways of implementation. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
  57. Hörður Torfasons speaks at Asamblea Barcelona on June 18th . Retrieved May 27th, 2012.