Anti-austerity movement in Spain

public broadcasting company, between 6.5 and 8 million

Spaniards have participated in these events.[15]

1 Background
Since the ongoing economic crisis began, Spain has had
one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe, reaching a eurozone record of 21.3%. The number of unemployed people in Spain stood at 4,910,200 at the end
of March 2011, up about 214,000 from the previous
quarter,[16] while the youth unemployment rate stands at
43.5%, the highest in the European Union.[17] In September 2010 the government approved a sweeping overhaul
of the labour market designed to reduce unemployment
and revive the economy. Main trade unions CCOO and
Unin General de Trabajadores (UGT), and minor ones,
rejected the plan because it made it easier and cheaper for
employers to hire and re workers. Trade unions called
for a general strike, the rst in a decade in Spain, on 29
September 2010.[18]

Documental 15M: Excelente. Revulsivo. Importante. English

subtitles

The anti-austerity movement in Spain, also referred to

as the 15-M Movement (Spanish: Movimiento 15-M),[2]
the Indignants Movement,[3] and Take the Square
#spanishrevolution,[4] is a series of ongoing[5] demonstrations in Spain whose origin can be traced to social
networks such as Real Democracy NOW (Spanish: Democracia Real YA) or Youth Without a Future (Spanish:
Juventud Sin Futuro), among other civilian digital platforms and 200 other small associations.[6] The demonstrations began on 15 May 2011, with an initial call in 58
Spanish cities.[7]
The movement demands a radical change in Spanish politics, as demonstrators do not consider themselves to be
represented by any traditional party nor favored by the
measures approved by politicians.[8] Spanish media has
related the movement to the economic crisis, Stphane
Hessel's Time for Outrage!,[8] the NEET-troubled generation and current demonstrations in the Middle East and
North Africa,[9] Iran, Greece,[10] and Portugal,[11] as well
as the 2009 Icelandic demonstrations.[12] The movement
drew inspiration from 2011 revolutions in Tunisia and
Egypt and uprisings in France in 1968, Greece in 2008,
and South Korea in 1980 and 1987. The demonstrations
occurred close to the local and regional elections, held on
22 May.

Demonstration in Barcelona on 22 January 2011, against the

raise in the retirement age

For the rest of the year, the government proceeded with

economic reforms. In January 2011, the government
reached an agreement with the main trade unions to increase the retirement age from 65 to 67. Still, anarchosyndicalist and other unions rejected the plan and called
for a strike on 27 January in Galicia, Catalonia and the
Basque Country. Other demonstrations in Madrid ended
up in clashes.[19][20] The majority of Spaniards also rejected the higher retirement age.[21]

Even though demonstrators form a heterogeneous and

ambiguous group, they share a strong rejection of unemployment, welfare cuts, Spanish politicians, and the
current two-party system in Spain between the Spanish
Socialist Workers Party and the Peoples Party. Their
sentiments also encompass the rejection of the current political system, capitalism, banks and political
corruption.[13] Many call for basic rights, which consist In February the so-called Sinde law passed, adding anof home, work, culture, health and education rights.[14]
other motivation for the protests. The law allows an
According to statistics published by RTVE, the Spanish administrative commission to shut down any web page
1

that shows links or allows irregular downloading of copyrighted content, without judicial supervision, even when
the courts had repeatedly declared the legality of linking
to these contents. Users on Spanish forums and social
networks have criticized the law, which PSOE, PP and
Convergence and Union approved. An anonymous campaign, #nolesvotes, appeared online, calling on citizens to
vote against any of the parties that passed the law.[22]
Prior to 15 May, other demonstrations served as precursors of the protests. These demonstrations include the
7 April demonstration in Madrid by the student group
Youth without Future (Spanish: Juventud Sin Futuro),
which gathered 5,000 people. Spanish media have linked
the demonstrations to the 20082009 protests against the
Bologna Process.[23] The Portuguese Gerao Rasca
movement was also an inspiration.[11]

2011 EVENTS

3.1 May 2011

3.1.1 15 May
The rst event was called under the motto "we are not
goods in the hands of politicians and bankers" and was
focused on opposition to what the demonstrators called
antisocial means in the hands of bankers. The motto referred partly to the changes made in 2010 to contain the
ongoing European sovereign debt crisis through bailout
of the banks, which the Spanish society saw as responsible for the crisis. At the same time, the government continued to announce social program cutbacks. Protesters
demanded spiritual philanthropy.

Organization

Main article: Plataforma Democracia Real YA!

In January 2011, users on Spanish social networks and
forums created the digital platform Democracia Real
YA![24] Using Twitter and Facebook, it called the unemployed, poorly paid, the subcontractors, the precarious, young people... to take the streets on 15 May in
the following places (in alphabetical order): A Corua,
Albacete, Algeciras, Alicante, Almera, Arcos de la
Frontera, Badajoz, Barcelona, Bilbao, Burgos, Cceres,
Cadiz, Cartagena, Castelln, Ciudad Real, Crdoba,
Cuenca, Ferrol, Figueres, Fuengirola, Gijn, Granada,
Guadalajara, Huelva, Jan, Lanzarote, La Palma,
Len, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Lleida, Logroo,
Lugo, Madrid, Mlaga, Menorca, Mrida, Monforte de
Lemos, Murcia, Ourense, Oviedo, Palma, Pamplona,
Plasencia, Ponferrada, Puertollano, Salamanca, San Sebastin, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Santander, Santiago
de Compostela, Seville, Soria, Tarragona, Toledo,
Torrevieja, Ubrique, Valencia, Valladolid, Vigo, Vitoria
and Zaragoza.[25] That same day, small demonstrations
in support of the Spanish ones were organised in Dublin,
Lisbon, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Bologna, London and
Paris.

Demonstration in Madrid

Protests took place in all the planned cities. According to

Democracia Real YA!, 50,000 people gathered in Madrid
alone. The National Police, however, placed the number
at 20,000.[27] The march started in Plaza de Cibeles and
ended in Puerta del Sol, where several manifestos were
read. Also according to the organizers, 15,000 gathered
in the demonstration in Barcelona, which ended in front
of the Parliament of Catalonia. In other cities such as
Granada, up to 5,000 protesters attended. These protests
took place mostly without incident, except for an exchange of insults between some protesters and members
of the Fraternity of the Virgin of Rosario, whose procession overlapped with the end of the protest after the latter
continued longer than expected. In Santiago de Compostela, a group of eight hooded people smashed several banks and local businesses.[28][29][30] It is estimated
that about 130,000 people throughout Spain followed the
Before the demonstrations, Democracia Real YA! staged protesters that day.[31]
several symbolic events, such as the occupation of a bank
At the end of Madrids demonstration, protesters blocked
in Murcia on 13 May.[26] At the time of the demonstrathe Gran Va avenue and staged a peaceful sit-in in Callao
tions, the website from Democracia Real YA! had the
street, to which police responded by beating protesters
support of over 500 diverse associations, while continwith truncheons. As a result of the clashes and the followuing to reject collaboration with any political party or
ing riots, several shop windows were destroyed and trash
labour union, defending the protests independence from
containers burned. Police oers arrested 24 people, and
all institutionalized political ideology.
ve police ocers were injured.[32] On 17 May, Democracia Real YA! condemned the brutal police repression
and rejected any association with the incidents.[33] After the incidents, a group of 100 people headed to Puerta
3 2011 events
del Sol and started camping in the middle of the square,

3.1

May 2011

which would result in the following days protests.[34][35]

3.1.2

16 May

3
4,000 people, according to the authorities. As evening
fell, the protesters put up a large tarp canopy beneath
which they passed out signs with the intention of spending the night.[43] Three hundred of them stayed until the
dawn of 18 May.[41]

During the day, several people gathered in Puerta del Sol

and decided to stay in the square until the elections on 22
May. Meanwhile, 200 people started a similar action in 3.1.4 18 May
Barcelonas Plaa Catalunya, although police initially attempted to disperse the crowds. That day the tag #spanishrevolution, as well as other ones related to the protests,
became trending topics on Twitter.[34]
3.1.3

17 May

Sol, 18 May, early morning

According to a reporter from El Pas, many protesters

wore carnations, imitating protesters during the Portuguese Carnation Revolution. In addition, protesters organized a food stand, which provided food donated by
local businesses, and set up a webcam to provide news
The night of 17 May in Puerta del Sol
from Puerta del Sol through the website Ustream.tv. The
In the early hours of 17 May, police cleared the Puerta protesters were advised not to drink alcohol or to organize
as these acts could
del Sol square and removed the 150 people who had into groups of more than 20 people,
[43]
provoke
a
legal
police
crackdown.
camped out. Two protesters were arrested and one
injured.[36][37] In response to the eviction and police vi- The police ordered protesters to disperse in Valencia,
olence, protesters (independent of the Democracia Real Tenerife and Las Palmas. During the evacuation of
YA! organization[38] ) used SMS, Facebook and Twitter the Plaza del Carmen in Granada, three people were
to call for a mass response at 8 p.m. in several Span- arrested.[41][44][45] Speeches continued throughout the afish squares.[36] Large groups of demonstrators returned ternoon. The protests grew to include Len, Seville
to protest in various cities, standing apart from the group (where a campout started as of 19 May[41] ), and other
in Madrid. The police allowed protesters to camp out provincial capitals and cities in Spain. Protesters crein a few cities, like A Corua, where more than 1,000 ated support groups for each campout on Twitter and
people gathered.[39] In Madrid more than 12,000 peo- other national and international networks. Google Docs
ple gathered and about 200 protesters organized into an and other servers began to receive download requests for
assembly, during which they decided to organize them- documents needed to legally request permission for new
selves for spending the night in the square, creating protests.[46] In the morning, the Federacin de Asociacleaning, communication, extension, materials and le- ciones de Vecinos de Barcelona (FAVB) announced its
gal committees. Previously, small businesses had pro- support of the protests in Barcelona.[47] Protesters agreed
vided a great deal of assistance with supplies, including to hold meetings between their organizing committees
food.[38][40][41] Dozens of people also gathered in front each day at 1 p.m. and assemblies at 8 p.m.[48]
of the courthouse in Madrid, where the people arrested The Washington Post covered the protests on 15 May; on
during the 15 May demonstration were being held. All 18 May, more media outlets began to publish news redetainees were released.[36]
ports. Among them was Le Monde, the most widely cirProtests and nighttime camp-outs took place in 30 cities
around Spain, including Barcelona and Valencia.[42] The
protests gained the support of some people in the United
Kingdom, who announced that they would sit outside of
the Spanish embassy from 18 to 22 May.[42] The protest
in Plaza del Sol on the night of 17 May consisted of about

culated newspaper written in French, with an article that

noted the rarity of such large-scale protests in Spain.[49]
The German newspaper Der Spiegel noted the importance of the eects of what has been called The Facebook Generation on the protests.[50] The Portuguese paper Jornal de Notcias reported on the protests in Madrid

4
as soon as it was known that they had been prohibited.[51]
The New York Times cited El Pas and noted the strong organization of the protesters, particularly the 200 people
who had been placed in charge of security, and the use of
Twitter to ensure dissemination of their message.[52] The
Washington Post again reported on the protests in Puerta
del Sol, giving them the name of a revolution, estimating that 10,000 people attended Wednesday afternoons
protest, and comparing the protests with those in Cairos
Tahrir Square, which had recently ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.[53] The BBC made reference to the
peaceful nature of the protests in Puerta del Sol.[9]
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.[54] Police units stationed at Plaza del Sol, however, received orders from
the Government Delegation not to take out any further
action.[55]

2011 EVENTS

3.1.5 20 May
According to Britains The Guardian, tens of thousands
had camped out in Madrid and throughout the country on
the night of 1920 May.[56]
United Left appealed the Electoral Boards decision
to ban the protests before Spains Supreme Court.[57]
Shortly afterward, the State Prosecution presented its arguments to the court.[58]
Appeal before the Supreme Court Spains public
broadcaster, RTVE, reported that the State Prosecutor upheld the decision taken by the Central Electoral
Board[59] to ban the rallies.[60] Meanwhile, the police announced that they had been given instructions not to dissolve the crowd at Puerta del Sol provided that there was
no disturbance of the peace.[61]
Appeal before the Tribunal Constitucional RTVE
later reported that the countrys Constitutional Court had
been deliberating since 7:30 p.m. whether to review
an appeal against the decision of the Central Electoral
Board.[62] At 10:08 p.m., RTVE reported that the Constitutional Court had rejected the appeal on the formality
that the appellant had not appealed rst to the Supreme
Court.[63]
At 10:47 p.m. United Left announced it would appeal the
Supreme Courts decision before the Tribunal Constitucional. They had until midnight.[64]
At around 11:00 p.m., some 16,000 (according to the police) to 19,000 (according to other sources) people were
gathered at and around Puerta del Sol.[65]

Protests and tents in Madrid on 20 May

3.1.6 May 21
In Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga and other cities, May 21
started with a mute scream followed by cheers and
applause.[66] 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.[67]

Since 18 May, support protests occurred daily in several major

cities outside Spain, including Dublin, Berlin, London and Paris
(shown here on 20 May)

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: 15,000 in Malaga, 10,000 in Valencia, 8,000 in
Barcelona, 6,000 in Zaragoza, 4,000 in Seville, 3,000
in Bilbao, 3,000 in Palma, 2,000 in Gijn, 2,000 in
Oviedo, 1,500 in Granada, 1,000 in Vigo, 800 in Almeria, around 800 in Avils, 600 in Cadiz, 200 in Huelva,
and around 100 in Jaen.[66] Demonstrations also occurred
in other European cities, with 300 protesters participating in London, 500 in Amsterdam,[68] 600 in Brussels
and 200 in Lisbon. Minor demonstrations occurred in
Athens, Milan, Budapest, Tangiers, Paris, Berlin, Vienna
and Rome.[66]

3.2

June 2011

May 22

taken down on Sunday, 29 May, as had previously been

stated.[79]

3.1.7

Just after 2:00 p.m. on election day, the indignados (outraged) that had gathered at Puerta del Sol announced
that they had voted to stay at least another week, until
noon on 29 May.[69] Early analysis of the nationwide elections, won by the Peoples Party, suggested the protest
movement could have contributed to losses for the ruling
PSOE,[70] and to increased numbers of spoilt or blank
votes, which reached record levels.[71]
3.1.8

The clearing of the Barcelona camp was broadcast live by

two Spanish television channels, including Antena 3, and
was also widely dispersed through social networks such
as Twitter.[80][81]
The Catalan ombudsman opened an investigation into the
incident to check if police action was disproportionate
and violated citizens rights.[82]

24 May

In Murcia about 80 people gained access to the headquarters of the television channel 7 Regin de Murcia, avoiding security sta, in order to read a manifesto denouncing
media manipulation.[72] Likewise, some 30 people gained
unobstructed entry to the Tarragona oce of the Ministry
of Economy and Finance and shouted slogans against the
political and economic systems, before moving to several
nancial sites in the city centre to do the same.[73]
3.1.9

25 May

In Mlaga, the Ministry of Defence decided to relocate

various activities for Armed Forces Day, including the
Kings visit, planned for Friday 27. Protesters had already
been occupying the Plaza de la Constitucin, where the
events were scheduled to take place, for eight days.[74]
3.1.10

27 May

At approximately 7 a.m. on 27 May, a more serious incident occurred when the city council of Barcelona decided
to send 350 police ocers from the Mossos d'Esquadra
and roughly 100 more from the Gurdia Urbana to temporarily vacate Plaa de Catalunya so that it could be
cleaned ahead of the Champions League nal on 28 May,
in which FC Barcelona were playing against Manchester
United.[75][76] The resulting violent clash ended in 121
light injuries and provoked new calls to protest in all
squares still occupied across Spain.[75][77] The majority
of those injured suered bruises and open wounds caused
by police ocers truncheons; one protester left with a
broken arm.[77] The protesters who had been vacated returned to the square by early afternoon.[78]
Similar incidents also occurred in Lleida and Sabadell,
where Mossos d'Esquadra ocers dismantled the
protesters encampments.[75] According to police gures,
more than 12,000 people gathered in Barcelona through
the course of the day, angry about the earlier actions of
the police and painting their hands white and carrying
owers as symbols of protest. They demanded, among
other things, the resignation of the head of the Mossos
d'Esquadra, Felip Puig. They also claimed that, following the incident, the encampment likely would not be

Hear the wrath of the people, Puerta del Sol, Sunday morning,
29 May

3.2 June 2011

3.2.1 2 June
At least 40 people gathered in Montcada i Reixac,
Barcelona. They prevented court ocials from serving a
family with the order to leave their home immediately and
protested against banks repossessing peoples homes.[83]
3.2.2 4 June
Representatives from 53 assemblies around Spain gathered in a mass assembly in Puerta del Sol.[83]
3.2.3 8 June
In Madrid, hundreds of people gathered in front of the
Congreso de los Diputados, with a police barrier pre-

2011 EVENTS

venting them from entering the building. Demonstrations in front of the Parliament are banned in Madrid,
but the protest nished without incident.[84] In Valencia,
dozens of people decided to stay in front of the regional
Parliament.[85] In Barcelona, around 50 people protested
outside the Catalan Parliament against Felip Puig.[86]
3.2.4

9 June

In the morning, police clashed with protesters in Valencia,

injuring 18.[87] As a response to the police violence,
demonstrators called for a protest in the city later that day,
which gathered around 2,000 people. Support demonstrations were held in Barcelona and Madrid, the latter
ending up in front of the Parliament for a second night.
Barcelonas protest nished in front of the Popular Partys
oce.[88][89]
3.2.5

11 June

Police confront a demonstrator outside the Catalan Parliament

on 15 June

as former Minister of Labour Celestino Corbacho, were

jostled, heckled and sprayed on their way in, while others
used police helicopters to get to the parliament, including the president of Catalonia, Artur Mas.[93] Although
lawmakers managed to enter the Catalonian Parliament,
the scheduled session started with a 15-minute delay.[94]
By midday, most of the protesters remained outside the
parliament, while some confronted police with rocks and
bottles. At least 36 people were injured, 12 of them
Mossos d'Esquadra, and six people were arrested.

Thousands of indignados from the whole country concentrated at the gates of major city halls during the mayors
swearing-ins after the elections. Protesters broke in on
the act in Granada, while two activists were arrested in
Burgos and three in Palma. In Castelln, the police disThe protest was criticized by politicians across the counsolved the demonstration violently.[90]
try. During a press conference, Mas warned of a possible legitimate use of force in case demonstrators stayed
3.2.6 12 June
outside the Parliament, and he called on the public to
be understanding. Some politicians went so far as to
On Sunday, 12 June, four weeks after the protests had denounce an attempted coup d'etat.[95] Acampadabcn,
begun, protesters in the Puerta del Sol in Madrid began the organiser of the event, and Democracia Real YA!
to leave, dismantling the camp site; packing up tents, li- rejected the use of violence but denounced the crimbraries, and shops; and removing protest signs from sur- inalization of the movement by the media.[96] On Twitrounding sites.[91]
ter and other social networks, many users suggested the
possibility that secret police, inltrated to cause the violence, started most of the clashes.[97] At the end of the
3.2.7 14 June
day, demonstrators left the area and organised a march
towards Plaa de Sant Jaume.
Thousands of people assembled in front of Barcelonas
Parc de la Ciutadella and organized themselves to spend
the night, in order to start a blockade of the Catalan Par- 3.2.9 19 June
liament (which is inside the park) on the following day
and prevent deputies from entering the building, where
the debate on the 2011 budget, which would result in cuts
in education and health, was to take place.[92]
3.2.8

15 June

Clashes between protesters and Mossos d'Esquadra occurred in the early hours of the morning when hundreds
of protesters gathered in front of the police cordon, while
ocers red plastic bullets in order to disperse a group of
protesters who had set up barricades using rubbish containers. Hours later, scues broke out as Mossos de Esquadra pushed protesters back so the deputies who arrived on foot could pass through. Some deputies, such

The starting point of the demonstration on 19 June 2011, in

Crdoba, which 8,000 people attended

A massive demonstration was carried out in almost 80

Spanish cities and towns. It is believed that more than
three million people rallied that day.

3.3

July 2011

3.2.10

2025 June

The rst columns of the Indignant Peoples March began walking towards Madrid from throughout the country, planning to arrive in the capital on 23 July. The
Marchs goal was to expand the proposals of the Movement while visiting rural areas, collecting their demands,
and starting peoples assemblies.[98]
The March was organized in eight columns, consisting of
dozens of activists from 16 cities:[99]
Eastern route: from Valencia, 20 June

Southern column near Aranjuez, July 21

Murcia route: from Murcia, 20 June

Northern route: from Santander, Bilbao and
Pamplona, 23 and 29 June
Northwest route: from Santiago de Compostela,
Vigo, Ferrol, Avils and Gijn, between 24 and 30
June
Southern route: from Cdiz, 24 June
Southeastern route: from Mlaga and Motril, 25
June
Northeastern route: from Barcelona, 25 June
N-II route: from Zaragoza, 7 July

All columns of the Indignant Peoples March unite in Puerta del

Sol on 23 July

3.3.2 23 July
After a month-long walk, the columns of the Indignant
Peoples March joined in Puerta del Sol, where the movement rst emerged. Thousands collapsed the main entrances of Madrid in an improvised demonstration, as
sympathizers from Madrid and all over Spain joined the
walkers.

Indignant Peoples March Northeastern column, 11 July

3.3
3.3.1

July 2011
1 July

The eight columns reunited at 9 p.m. in Puerta del Sol under a banner saying WELCOME DIGNITY, received
with cheers and applause. The march culminated in a
wrap up and after-action review assembly, at which participants shared the social, political and economic problems of the towns visited along the way, as well as the
proposals made by the townspeople. The protesters created The Book of the People to collect these experiences
and redacted it into an ocial document to be deposited
in the Congress of Deputies' register.[101] A provisional
camp was established in Paseo del Prado to host the thousands of newly arrived walkers.[102]

3.3.3 24 July

Dozens of people protested outside Barcelonas town hall A demonstration formed under the motto Its not a criduring the swearing-in ceremony of Spanish Convergence sis, its the system and the poetic Its not a crisis, I just
and Union's candidate Xavier Trias.[100]
don't love you anymore, joined by the hundreds of thou-

sands of rural protesters who had arrived from all over

the country. During the rally, protesters sprayed red hand
grati on buildings and posted bills saying GUILTY on
bank oces and ministries, referencing the widely held
belief that the crisis was caused by banks, the Government, and cuts in social services. Due to the large crowds,
the demonstration split into two columns to avoid congestion. The demonstration ended with a protest camp in
front of the Congress of Deputies.
3.3.4

25 July

The I Foro Social del 15M was held in order to coordinate the mobilizations of the following winter. During the economics assembly, 2001 Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz appeared to show his support to the
movement.[103] The camp in front of the Congress continued.
3.3.5

26 July

2011 EVENTS

time, they evicted the tent city that had sprung up on the
Paseo del Prado. The police then blocked o all access to
Sol, including Metro and Cercanas, and lled the square
with over 300 police, including riot police, and 50 police
vans.[110]
In response, protesters called an immediate convergence
to try to access the square. The heavy police presence impeded their entry. The protestors, then numbering over
5,000,[110] decided to turn to the streets, demonstrating
from Callao, Gran Va, Cibeles, and Paseo del Prado, all
the way to the Congress of Deputies building, where they
were met by more riot police, police barricades and police
vans.[111] Protesters then turned to Atocha and once more
to Sol, where they again encountered an overwhelming
police presence. The decision was then made by the
protesters to occupy Plaza Mayor, where an emergency
participatory assembly was held in order to decide what
to do.[112] Ultimately, protesters set up a temporary information booth in Plaza Mayor, and some stayed to camp
through the night.[113] At the end of the night, two people
were arrested, and released the day after.[114]

Fifty indignados left Puerta del Sol walking in an

International March to Brussels planning to arrive on 8 3.4.2 3 August
October, a week before the demonstrations of 15 October, in order to give the peoples proposals to the European Parliament.
3.3.6

27 July

Police violently removed the camp in Paseo del Prado,

injuring a dozen people.[104] As a response, 500 demonstrators rallied towards the Congress. Meanwhile, several
activists crossed the police line in the Congress wearing
formal dresses and succeeded entering the Congress of
Deputies, where the Book of the People, containing the
rural problematics found during the Indignant Peoples
March, was delivered. Deputy Gaspar Llamazares compromised on presenting it to the Congress and forwarded
it to the Prime Minister. However, he made clear that he
had no connection to the Movement.[105] [106]

3.4
3.4.1

August 2011
2 August

When the assembly decided on 12 June to dismantle the

tent city in Puerta del Sol, it also decided by consensus
to leave behind an information booth, called PuntoSol,
where people interested in the movement could nd information about how it had been decentralized to the neighborhood assemblies.[107] An organic garden surrounding one of the fountains in Sol was also left behind in
the square. At 6:30 a.m. on 2 August, the national
and municipal police evicted the remaining protesters at
the information booth, and cleaning crews dismantled
PuntoSol[108] and the organic garden.[109] At the same

Poster used in the protests, Not enough bread for so much

chorizo, referring to political corruption, as "chorizo" is also used
to mean stealer.[115]

During the Plaza Mayor assembly, protesters decided to

9
hold another assembly at Jacinto Benavente on the next
day at 6 p.m. in order to attempt entering the square
again. Police then cordoned o the square, and metro
and train stations closed, while police asked for identication from anyone trying to pass into the square. Police also asked customers from shops around Sol to close
their businesses several hours earlier than usual. As the
attempt to enter the square failed, the protesters decided
to start a new march from Atocha two hours later. The
march from Atocha grew larger as people began passing through Cibeles and up the Gran Va heading toward Puerta del Sol, where ocers and police vans prevented the demonstrators from marching up San Jernimo street.[116] Police and about 4,000 demonstrators
then played a game of cat-and-mouse as the demonstrators tried to enter Puerta del Sol through dierent streets.
There were several moments of tension at dierent points
and by 11 p.m., the groups of demonstrators disbanded
and retreated to Callao Square, where they held an assembly and decided to hold a demonstration at 12 p.m.
on the following day and attempt to enter Sol once again
at 8 p.m.[116]

(Outraged Cavalcade). At the beginning of the protest,

demonstrators clashed with police, leaving ve injured,
including two police ocers. Two people were arrested.
After the initial scues with police ocers, demonstrators made their way to Puerta del Sol without further
incident.[120]

3.4.3

4.1.1 Asturian miners strike

4 August

4 2012 events
4.1 12M-15M
In May, the protesters celebrated the rst anniversary
of the Indignants protest movement with thousands of
people gathering in several Spanish cities at the same
time. As part of a global day of action, similar protests
occurred simultaneously in other cities including London,
Lisbon, Frankfurt and Tel Aviv.[121][122] In Spain, at least
100,000 were estimated to have marched against the austerity measures.[123]

Police charged against protesters in front of the Ministry Main article: 2012 Asturian miners strike
of the Interior in Madrid.[117]

3.5
3.5.1

October 2011

In late May, an industrial dispute involving more than

8,000 coal miners involved demonstrations and a march
to the federal capital.

15 October

As part of the October 15 movement, (related to the 4.2 August

Occupy protests), hundreds of thousands marched in
Marinaleda Mayor Juan Manuel Snchez Gordillo led
Madrid and other cities.
protests started by labor union SAT (Sindicato Andaluz de
A half million people took part in the demonstration that
Trabajadores, Andalusian Union of Workers) to get the
lled the street and marched from Alcala and Cibeles tofederal government, led by Mariano Rajoy, to end austerward Puerta del Sol square in Madrid, home of the Indigity measures that involved budget cuts and layos of pubnants movement. Another 450,000 people participated
lic sector workers.[124] The labor unions stole food from
in Barcelona. In both cities, thousands remained and parseveral supermarkets to feed jobless people and to ignite
ticipated in the activities and general assembly.[118]
controversy, earning Gordillo the nickname of Robin
Hood. The goal of these actions was to stress that the attention was currently on the Spanish risk premium, debt
3.6 December 2011
and decit instead of on the hunger of the middle and
lower classes.[125]
3.6.1 5 December
Two hundred police ocers cleared a hotel in Madrid that
had been occupied since 15 October. No injuries were 4.3 September
reported. Later that day, 3,000 people marched against
As of 25 September, an action to surround the Spanish
the eviction in the center of Madrid.[119]
Congress was taking place in Madrid.[126]
3.6.2

28 December

Around 3,000 protesters marched in the center of Madrid

in what was called the Cabalgata de los Indignados

5 2014 events

10

5.1

Citizens Security law

The Anti-austerity movement in Spain is fundamentally

rooted in the gathering of the nations citizens in the
street to voice resistance to Spains unopposed right wing
government dominated by the Peoples Party. However,
the recently passed Citizens Security Law (dubbed the
gag law), viewed by many as a blatant restriction of
civil liberties comparable to the dictatorship of Francisco
Franco, is designed to quell this opposition in order to
maintain the hold it has on Spanish society. In response,
the Spanish people subverted these measures by protesting via holograms instead, avoiding arrest and setting an
incredibly unique precedent across the world.
5.1.1

Background: Protests

On May 15, 2011, powerful, relentless chants of s, se

puede (roughly yes, it can be done) could be heard
echoing from the thousands of young Spaniards known as
los indignados (the indignants) lling Madrids Puerta
Del Sol Square as well as 57 other Spanish cities. This
is how the Spanish Anti-Austerity Movement began: an
impromptu revolt of thousandsrallying against a political establishment felt to be out of sync with the people
which continued for many days yet.[127] Four years later,
on January 31, 2015, the same cries of si, se puede rang
through the same square in central Madrid, this time in
the form of Podemos (we can), an insurgent force with
roots in los indignados ideology and vision for Spain.[128]
Podemos fundamentally anti-corruption platform, the incredibly high standards of purity, and its singularity in
threatening to bring an end to the bipartisan political
system that has governed Spain since the death of general Francisco Franco in 1975 brought Podemos easily to the top of opinion polls last year in anticipation
of a year packed with municipal, regional, and general
elections.[128] The new partys moralistic overtones combined with its impeccable timing and lack of similar competition struck a chord with the nations youth among
many others and won it 1.2 million votes and ve seats
in Mays European elections.
5.1.2

Content

Podemos is an example of a strong resurgence from the

left across Europe to crippling austerity measures in several countries that have left citizens homeless, jobless,
and without hope.[129][130] In Spain, nearly 25% of people are unemployed and evictions have reached a rate of
as high as 500 per day among a wide variety of other
economic issues, leading to a number of generally peaceful protests seeking change in the way the government
handles them.[131] In addition to forming the foundation of Podemos as well as Ciudadanos, another fundamentally anti-austerity and anti-corruption party,[132]
these protests have elicited multiple attempts by the gov-

2014 EVENTS

ernment to silence them culminating in what many see

as something out of the generalissimos handbook.[133]
The measures the law takes to silence the voices of
the Spanish people are absolutely devastating, including
unimaginably steep nes or jail time for disrespecting
police ocers (600 euros),[134] taking and sharing images of state security forces that might endanger them or
their operations (30,000 euros),[134] protesting in front
of government buildings, protesting at a time or location not approved by the police (600,000 euros),[135] or
even using a hashtag in a tweet publicizing an event that
breaks the rules in any way.[136] Internet activity alone
can result in up to ve years behind bars.[137] The law
also extends to even more restrictive and vague measures,
such as playing games or sports in public spaces that are
not designed for such activity (1000 euros),[138] projecting luminous devices (e.g. lasers) in the vicinity of
public transport in a way that might cause accidents
(600,000 euros),[139] insulting the state or participating
in the disruption of citizens security while using hoods,
helmets, or any other article of clothing or object that
covers the face, rendering identication dicult or impossible (30,000 euros),[139] and failure to cooperate
with law enforcement during crime investigations or in
the prevention of acts that might put citizens security at
risk (30,000 euros).[139] Acts of terrorism under the act
include clauses as loosely dened as the commission of
any serious crime againstliberty.[139]
According to Spains interior minister, Jorge Fernndez
Diaz, Its a law for the 21st Century. It provides better guarantees for peoples security and more judicial security for peoples rights.[140] What is allegedly an act
against terrorism to guarantee a freer and more peaceful
coexistence for all Spaniardseradicating violence,[138]
ironically quite seriously threatens this ideal by making
police and federal security personnel (who are often responsible for committing this type of violence) signicantly less accountable, while expanding the role of private security forces lacking both proper training and the
proper level of public accountability (assuming that normal police forces do indeed possess these qualities).[139]
Another problem with this policy is that it is fundamentally anti-immigrant in nature, crippling the group targeted most severely by austerity measures even more by
forcing everyone to present identity documents at internet cafs, prohibitively complicating undocumented migrants communications outside the country.[139] The law
also contains a provision validating and formalizing the
process of expulsion for Moroccans who jump the border
fence into Spains African outposts of Ceuta and Melilla,
which according to the International Federation for Human Rights restrict[s] the right to seek asylum and violate[s] the principle of non-refoulement and the prohibition of collective expulsions as well as [exposing]
migrants to a serious risk of torture and ill-treatment by
denying them the possibility of ling a claim against law
enforcement personnel in case of abuse.[133]

11

6
6.1

2015 events
March

The day before a closely watched Andalusian parliamentary election, 2015, thousands of people took part in a
march for dignity in Madrid on Saturday March 21,
2015 to protest against austerity measures.[141]

6.2

April

The reason the gag law is so brutally damaging this moment in Spain is because the exercising of freedom of
speech and assembly have been the Spanish peoples only
means of responding to this regime and aecting change.
These gatherings have been fundamental in shaping the
narrative of Spanish politics both in the media and in policy over the last few years.[142] In response to this restriction, Spanish citizens launched a protest that questioned
not only the Peoples Party but how the internet and digital
media have changed the way the world changes. On April
11, 2015, Instead of marching in front of government
buildings in person, they created recordings of themselves
marching and projected them as holograms instead.[143]
The project was largely crowdsourced, reaching out to individuals across the internet to add their face and voice
to the mass, collapsing digital space to physical space in
deance. This type of subversion creates new modes of
action that promise some higher degree of equality by enabling the creation of an entirely new type of space where
individuals can freely enact the rights they are ghting for.
One of the most interesting questions this kind of protest
raises is how the political space, the digital space, and the
physical space intertwine, how that is changing with the
rise of technologies such as the internet and the hologram.
By extension, it raises questions about the dierences between digital and physical presence and how these are differences are manipulated in this type of political action.

Political response

The main political parties issued statements on 16 May

2011, following debate. On 15 May, the day of the
rst demonstration, almost every party was willing to be
quoted on the situation.[147] Jaime Mayor Oreja, Member
of the European Parliament representing the Partido Popular, was critical of the alleged intention of activiststo
not cast ballots in the coming election. So was Spanish
Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) member and Minister
of Public Works and Transport Jos Blanco.[148] United
Left had a positive view of the activists demands, but admitted to being incapable of connecting with them. The
communist partys political coordinator Cayo Lara defended the refusal of the activists to become a lost generation and criticized their removal from the Puerta del
Sol on 16 May.[149] Other politicians, such as Jos Antonio Grin, showed sympathy for the movement while
insisting that abstaining from voting was not a solution.
Esteban Gonzlez Pons, general vicesecretary of the Partido Popular, linked the demonstrations to the antisystem far left.[150]
Former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzlez compared the movement, which he considered an extraordinarily important phenomenon,[151] with the Arab
Spring,[152] pointing out that in the Arab world they are
demanding the right to vote while here they are saying
that voting is pointless.[151]
On 25 July 2011, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph
Stiglitz participated at the I Foro Social del 15M
organized in Madrid expressing his support for the
movement.[153] During an informal speech, he made a
brief review of some of the problems in the United States
and Europe, including the high unemployment rate and
the situation in Greece. This is an opportunity for economic contribution social measures, argued Stiglitz. He
encouraged those present to respond to the bad ideas
not with indierence, but with good ideas. This does
not work, you have to change it, he said. On 15 September 2012, Stiglitz said accepting the bailout would be
suicidal for the country.[154][155]

8 See also
15 October 2011 global protests
2009 Iranian presidential election protests
2011 Chilean protests
2011 Israeli social justice protests
2013 Bulgarian protests
Anti-austerity movement in Greece
Anti-austerity protests in Ireland

Presentation new Spanish party Partido X, 8 de enero de

2013.[144][145][146]

Anti-austerity protests in Portugal

Anti-austerity movement in the United Kingdom

12

REFERENCES

Real democracy NOW (Spanish: Democracia real [15] Ipsos Public Aairs statistic about Spanish protests.
RTVE. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
YA)
Kitchenware Revolution (Iceland)
Occupy movement
Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca
Protests of 1968
Reacts
Spanish Teen Rally (Estudiar en primavera)
Time for Outrage!

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16 May 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
2012
[148] ""Democracia real ya hace reaccionar a los dos princi[124] Spanish mayor begins anti-austerity campaign. Alpales partidos. La Voz de Galicia. Retrieved 22 May
jazeera.
2011.
[125] Robin Hood mayor promises more supermarket food
[149] La Voz de Galicia; Cayo Lara: Zapatero ha trado ms
raids. El Pais. 8 August 2012.
benecios para los amos y la porra para los de abajo", 17
May 2011 (consultado el mismo da).
[126] Police Fire Rubber Bullets At Spanish Protesters.
NPR.org. 26 September 2012.

[150] Gonzlez Pons vincula a parte de 'Democracia Real Ya'

con la extrema izquierda del PSOE"". 20minutos.es. 17
[127] Ashifa Kassam, 100,000 Flock to Madrid for Podemos
May 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
Rally against Austerity The Guardian, January 31, 2015,
accessed May 22, 2015.
[151] Ideal.es; Felipe Gonzlez, sobre los 'indignados: Estn
hartos, los partidos no deberan descalicarlos 17 May
[128] Ashifa Kassam. 100,000 ock to Madrid for Podemos
2011. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
rally against austerity. the Guardian.
[129] Owen Jones. Viva Podemos: the left shows it can adapt [152] Ideal.es; Felipe Gonzlez compara a los 'indignados con
los protagonistas de las revueltas rabes 18 May 2011. Reand thrive in a crisis. the Guardian.
trieved 18 May 2011.
[130] Remi Piet, Can the left ght back in Europe AlJazeera,
[153] Joseph Stiglitz apoya el movimiento 15-M. Retrieved
September 22, 2014, accessed May 22, 2015.
26 July 2011.
[131] Belen Fernandez, Outlawing public opinion in Spain Al[154] Stiglitz advierte de que pedir el rescate podra ser un suiJazeera, April 11, 2015, accessed May 22, 2015.
cidio para Espaa. El Pais.
[132] Miguel-Anxo Murado, What has gone wrong for Podemos The Guardian, March 11, 2015, accessed May 22, [155] Joseph Stiglitz: Spain Bank Bailout 'Not Going To
2015.
Work'". Hungton Post.

16

10

10

External links

15Mpedia, an encyclopedia about the movement

(Spanish)
Democracia real Ya! Ocial Web
Toma la plaza.net
takethesquare.net
Spanish Revolution collection at Internet Archive
SolTV (live streaming)
Brochure protests convened on 19 June
Article on the Spanish protests by Peter Gelderloos
Inside 15m: 48h with the indignants is a documentary (English subtitles) about the Spanish protests
made by the peoples assemblies of Madrid.
Timeline, political analysis, and eyewitness reportage of the Spanish protests on crimethinc
Republican Reections on the 15-M movement by
Philip Pettit
15M: Excellent. A Wake-up call. Important Written and directed by: Stphane M. Grueso, Documental, CC BY-SA
Documentary SPANISH TEEN RALLY (Estudiar
en primavera)"
Pea-Lpez, I., Congosto, M. & Aragn, P. (2014).
"Spanish Indignados and the evolution of the 15M
movement on Twitter: towards networked parainstitutions".

EXTERNAL LINKS

17

11
11.1

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

Text

Anti-austerity movement in Spain Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-austerity_movement_in_Spain?oldid=723728916 Contributors: Edward, Nealmcb, Tpbradbury, Earl Andrew, BigHaz, Esperant, Hydrox, MuDavid, Bender235, Evolauxia, Zarateman, Anthony Appleyard, Woohookitty, Je3000, Cbdorsett, Stefanomione, Ictlogist, BD2412, RxS, Rjwilmsi, Tim!, Ground Zero, DVdm, Volunteer Marek, Bgwhite, OsvaldoGago, Eraserhead1, RussBot, Pigman, Square87~enwiki, Emijrp, Arthur Rubin, SmackBot, CesarGon,
Timeshifter, Edgar181, Kudzu1, Cattus, Brinerustle, Racklever, Cybercobra, Valenciano, Kendrick7, Ericl, Salamurai, Ohconfucius, ZScarpia, Lambiam, Ser Amantio di Nicolao, Dl2000, Joseph Solis in Australia, Kernow, Cydebot, Xharekx33, Dr.enh, Sobreira, Ariah,
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Guest2625, BG19bot, Mohamed CJ, Spanishrevolution.eu, Wjard, Hermes2078, Escime, Northamerica1000, Jim Sukwutput, GrooverKing, Sordini2, CyberRobynHood2, Akt52, Esecarolus, Yerevantsi, Jeancey, FakirNL, Glacialfox, Jeanne.mzd, Strawman314, BattyBot,
Cyberbot II, Arcandam, Dexbot, Charles Essie, Marxcubes, Cordstandart, Gabriela.siade, Robert4565, Mikebward85, Olsonspterom,
Stamptrader, Paquito xocolatero, BethNaught, Picassotaco, InsideQ4, MaryGaulke, Jorgerg89, Inother, Azrei0277, Kasperynn, Helmut
von Moltke, GreenC bot, Inka Stafrace and Anonymous: 154

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