#19O Global Day of Action
- Podrobnosti
- Napisal Reina Vulva
- Kategorija: Teksti
- Objavljeno 19 Oktober 2013
On a Saturday afternoon a couple of thousand people showed up to protest against government policies, financial capitalism and dictatorship of debt. The idea behind the demonstration was for it to end in temporary occupations of six different main squares in the city center, creating agoras: thus opening spaces for discussion amongst people about their troubles and worries and the ways to empower the neighborhoods (also, through finding new common ways of organizing the struggle). The demo was organized in a very “expected” way, as a peaceful march meant to raise awareness and mobilize people to join the common struggle. The feeling of walking the streets was, to me, emphasizing the crisis of current methods of resistance, which really need to be rethought if to be effective against Troika. Although with good energy and enthusiasm (the drumming section of Rythms of resistance always helps) it seemed like one more of those demos we’ve all been on. What does stand out most about the demo is its composition: although organized by activist groups, the people showing up are mostly vecinos del barrio (neighbors), already participating in 15M assemblies. It seems that it would be so because the militant groups are much more enrooted in the neighborhoods than back home; outside of big manifestations activists are working directly in the neighborhoods, helping to stop evictions, gathering food and organizing popular kitchens, markets, assemblies, pickets etc. They seem to function as facilitators of knowledge of organizing assemblies etc., but otherwise seem to blend with the rest of the community.
The demo starts with immediate criminalization by the police, identifying and searching some of the participants. Unlike home, here, the culture of anti-repression and objection to police presence is forceful (people started shouting immediately, giving each other support and condemning police actions as violence. What is also surprising is the number of slogans they produce for every possible situation that arises in the protest, the chants and songs are delightfully countless!). People don’t want the police in the streets and see their presence as criminalization of resistance; there’s nobody handing out flowers. The only people that are on friendly terms with the police are tourists, asking for direction – you won’t get much direction, but if you’re a young woman, the macho iberico will ask you for your phone number. The demo is stopped in the middle of the street by the police, enabling people to move forward and literally pushing us on to the sidewalks. Some more powerful chanting and the convergence end at Sol, with songs of rebellion by the people's choir Solfonica.
In the end, the idea of agoras fell through because of heavy raining, but it is kept as a method to be applied at the end of the next demonstration against banking system, austerity and debt (called for 23. of November, 23N). The decision was made on a quickly put-together assembly on which the people reminded each other of how much they’ve accomplished, how strong they are for continuing their struggle and how the idea of indignados has spread throughout the world, reminding everyone that protest are also going on in other cities of Spain and in Italy and Brasil.
