Article from El Pais on 19th June - March against Europact

Article published by elpais.com and translated into English by Sophie. See the note at the end of the document to know more about the original article.

19th June - The 15-M movement takes to the streets of Madrid once more, protesting against the negative impact the “Europact” measures could have on social welfare.

If anyone had any doubts about how the 15-M (May 15th) movement was going to progress after the decision to lift the camps, today they have been dispelled.

Tens of thousands of people, streaming from all directions, flowed into the Plaza de Neptuno, next to the Cortes building where politicians make important decisions, with a cry that has been universal since the beginning of the protests: “Que no, que no, que no nos representan,” meaning “They do not represent us.”

In an organized and celebratory manner, with no police involvement whatsoever, the “Indignados” (Outraged) occupied the square. At least 37,742 people (the margin of error indicates that there could be up to 42,271) have participated in the Madrid mobilization, according to a survey done by the company Lynce at 2.20 this afternoon.

Young people, old people and children, synchronized almost to perfection through messages and plans made on social networking sites, came together in a movement that has already made a deep impression on the system. Chants sang by the demonstrators, who streamed into Plaza de las Cortes from all corners of the Spanish captial, included: “Vuestra crisis, no la pagamos” (“We will not pay for your crisis”), “lo llaman democracia y no lo es”,(They call it democracy and it’s not), “el pueblo unido, jamás será vencido” (The people united will never be defeated).

All came prepared for a day in which the spirit of weariness and social discontent that has generated this global movement would be demonstrated. With the departure of the Templo de Debod march in the east of the city at 11am, the six sections of the Madrid demonstration were all in motion. The earliest departure had been from Leganés at 9am. Not long afterwards, huge groups began to set off from other parts of Madrid, with people joining them on the way. At all the starting points, there were hundreds of protesters from many different parts of Madrid. At 10.45 there were nearly a thousand people present at Templo de Debod. At 11.15, when the march began, the figure had more than doubled.

Before setting out, a spokesperson explained via megaphone what should be done in case of violent behaviour: “If someone begins behaving violently, we must attempt to dialogue with that person in order to stop them. If they do not listen to us, we will sit peacefully on the ground and point them out.”

Seconds before leaving, Jon Aguirre, spokesperson of Democracia Real Ya (Real Democracy Now) explained the reasons behind the march: “We want to show financial institutions that citizens do not agree with having their rights compromised”.

People of all ages carried home-made banners protesting about the welfare cuts, job insecurity (which is rife in Spain, partly due to the abuse of the becario system), and against politicians and bankers. “There is nothing more dangerous than a man with nothing to lose” said one demonstrator at the front of the protest. The march, which kept growing and growing, moved slowly and arrived with time to spare at all of the points on its route.

“Queremos un pisito, como el del principito!” (We want a little apartment, like the little prince’s!) chanted some demonstrators as they passed the Royal Palace just before midday. The atmosphere all the way through the march has been celebratory. The most exciting moment was when the marches coming from the Templo de Debod and Leganes, another Madrid neighbourhood, met and united in Puerta de Toledo minutes around 12.30.
The thousands of people in this group arrived at Embajadores before the appointed time, where people began playing drums and musical instruments. And many of the participants danced their way to Plaza de Neptuno, where thousands (1 million according to the popular organization Democracia Real Ya [Real Democracy Now]) were waiting near to the lower chamber of the Spanish parliament, which was heavily protected by police presence.

More than 500 “antidisturbance” officers ensured that there were no altercations. The security measures were much greater around the Cortes building. A government body has confirmed that, as well as special Police Intervention units, there were 2 helicopters keeping watch, members of Citizen Security and further security forces. Up until now, there have been no notable incidents.

Inhabitants of Madrid neighbourhoods Malasaña and Chamberí marked passing the Partido Popular’s headquarters (the Spanish conservative party) with shouts of “Espe, Espe, especulación" (“Speculation!”). Holding banners with slogans such as “Caminemos juntos contra la crisis y el capital” (Let us walk together against capital and the crisis) “Escuchad la ira del pueblo” (Listen to the wrath of the people), or “No seas violento” (don’t be violent), the demonstrators - people of all ages from all walks of life - sang the 15-M chants such as “Lo llaman democracia y no lo es” (“They call it democracy and it isn’t”.)

After 3 in the afternoon, the majority of those who attended began to leave Plaza de Neptuno, which slowly returned to normality. Cleaning services began to clear the square although there were still some groups sat on the floor in the shade, due to the intense heat. Some participants are heading towards Puerta del Sol, where a public assembly has been organised for 8 o’clock.

But the protests are not limited to Madrid, the nerve-centre of the movement. In the course of the day around 98 demonstrations have taken place, not just in Spain, but in other countries, including Manchester.

Translator's note: Article taken from here. The link has now been updated so the original text is not available. The headline is my own approximation of the original, and there may be some inaccuracies due to the hastiness of the translation.
ST

Thank you Sophie!!