‘Domenica delle Salme’

Economia Sol, Sunday 19 May 2013

Madrid, May 21

Dear people,

Last Sunday’s triumphant performance of ‘Twilight of the Bricks’ didn’t only represent a brief history of the Spanish economic crisis. It was also, symbolically, a last tribute to the 15M movement. The revolution is over. We can all go home.

Really? Yes, we can. But don’t despair, resistance continues. It’s just not going to be the way it was. I’ll try to explain.

Over the past few days I bumped into a lot of people I know from all layers of the movement. Their stories and comments confirmed an image that was already pretty clear. There is no 15M, not no more. It became obvious when I witnessed the  meetings that were organised on the squares around Puerta del Sol on Saturday. Different assemblies on debt, education, the future, the past, the struggle, etc. Nobody really cared. And who can blame them? Two years have past, and we’re still here, talking about the very same shit, without any conclusions. Next time, we’ll start all over again. The only difference is that there will be even less people present.

Those who are left are the nostalgics. They lament the loss of the initial ideological purity of the movement, the assemblary Utopia that existed in the first few weeks – maybe just in our imaginations – characterized by the principles of horizontality, inclusiveness and consensus. A handful of them have entrenched themselves in the few working groups and commissions that remained after the end of the acampada, and they erected themselves as guardians of the spirit of 15M. They started to exclude people by accusing them of not being inclusive. They engaged in powerplay to preserve horizontality. They took personal decisions and presented them as consensus. In short, they forgot about the revolution, and so the revolution left them behind.

A few dozen people attend the closing assembly of the day. This is it. And so I ask myself, what the hell am I doing here? I spent two years of my life living like a bum in order to document the #SpanishRevolution for the benefit of all posterity, and now it turns out this whole revolution thing was merely a fashion? Screw you guys, I’m going home!

So there I am, the next day, ready to go. In Puerta del Sol I encounter my long term comrades from Global Revolution TV, streaming live. The Economy commission has just illustrated a list of practical proposals. They are also gathering proof for criminal prosecution of the big bankers. Then there is a rumble coming from Alacalà, and growing louder.

“Don’t go yet, it’s about to start.”

Five minutes, and well over ten thousand people of the ‘White Wave’ are flooding the Puerta del Sol, shouting their one demand: “Public Health Care.” There are doctors, nurses, patients, sympathizers. And the unions. The wave has full support of the big unions. But this is not a demonstration that was planned a long time ago. No, this is happening every single Sunday. And it’s massive. In the square, I even notice the first timid signs of political parties.

White Wave arriving in Sol. “You don’t sell health care, you defend it.”

The hard core nostalgics of 15M are snobbing the waves, simply because they are supported by the unions. They keep dreaming of horizontal participatory democracy without flags and logos, but they are completely out of touch with the people. The 15M revolution has consumed itself. The people are in the waves. They are moving on.

So what remains of 15M?

In the first place, the indignation. It’s still the same indignation that made people take the streets and occupy the squares of Spain and abroad, two years ago. Eighty percent of the population still supports what 15M stood for, according to a recent poll.

In the second place, the awareness the movement raised. The empowerment of single persons coming together for the common good. But the most important thing that remains, is the method.

Most of the original working groups may have been wrecked by personal conflicts, but many neighbourhood assemblies are still regularly active and functioning. Plus, it is infecting the rest of society as well. In schools, universities, hospitals, working places, in the unions, in politics, people are organizing themselves in assemblies where everyone has a voice. It works locally, and it works online, where you can organize assemblies on whatever subject or action in the same way as you do in the square. And the beautiful thing about this method is that it is self regenerating. If one collective doesn’t work anymore, it will simply vanish, and new assemblies will sprout up to engage different issues, or to engage the same issues in a different way.

This is the heritage of 15M. It inspired men and women, young and old, all over the world. It made us conscious that we, the people, have the power to make a difference, if only we have the patience to pursue.

Assembly during Acampada Sol. Photo by Juan M. Plaza, via fotospanishrevolution.org

Twilight of the Bricks

The stage

Madrid, May 19

Dear people,

The Belgian uprising against the Dutch started in a theatre in 1830. Three decades later, the Italians were roused by Verdi’s operas to throw off the yoke of the Austrians. Today, after an amazing performance, it was once again from a theatrical stage that people were invited to rise up.

It took months of preparation. The scenes, the costumes, the music, the songs. Over 150 people took part in the production. The premiere was tonight in the grand hall of Tabacalera Social Centre, a 15M operetta in one act, 45 minutes, accompanied by the Solfonica orchestra. ‘El Crepuscolo del Ladrillo‘, or: ‘The Twilight of the Bricks’.

I was lucky I got in with the press, because the line of people waiting outside went all around the block. There were two shows planned initially, but to satisfy the popular demand, a third show was performed late in the evening. It was a triumph. I couldn’t have hoped for a more stylish return to Madrid.

Basically, the operetta is a very concise history of Spain over the last few decades, culminating in economic crisis and revolt. The libretto was written by José Manuel Naredo, with clear foresight, over twenty years ago. It was adapted and performed in a scenery that represented Acampada Sol.

The Solfonica during the repetitions.

For me, who had the privilege to have been there in those days, it was a wonderful déja vu. Not just to see stage pieces painted with the clock tower of Puerta del Sol and the crowded square, but also the cardboard reproductions of the most symbolic slogans and banners. Most famously, the enormous image of Heinrich Himmler with Mickey Mouse ears and a euro logo on his forehead, which dominated the occupied square for weeks. Art was evanescent in the Acampada Sol, and to find it reproduced was a testimony to its value.

The Solfonica starts to play and the stage is filled with happy people. Definitely I’m not the only one with goosebumps. The scene is bucolic, full of love and peace. And backwardness, poverty, or so it seems. But the government officials have the answer. Speculation, privatisation, cement, cement, cement. With the benediction of the church, because frugality is sinful, and investment is good, be it in gold or cement or indulgences.

People flock to the cities, to the factories, the days of old come to an end, and nobody cares for as long as money keeps flowing. Then crisis strikes. People are depressed, the government doesn’t know what to do, so an expert is hired to come up with a solution. This includes a lot of lofty phrases, and comes down to new technologies, communication sciences, services, networks, etc. Eurocrats and economists start to implement the measures. Efficiency is the key. But when the economy collapses once more, the only solution is austerity, discipline, control.

At that point it’s the dream fairy who inspires people to wake up, to recuperate their freedom, their music, their happiness, their love for life. And to overthrow their government, to take the stage, all together, for the grand finale.

During the thunderous applause that followed, a banner was raised by the actors, with a simple message. ‘Rebellion’.

The performance of the Twilight of the Bricks was one night only. But you might be lucky. According to rumours the show will go on tour. If you don’t catch it, you can find the stream of the live broadcast here…

http://www.livestream.com/spanishrevolutionsol/video?clipId=pla_99ed1bc9-aa44-4684-8aa3-4b7d28f9e41a

Citizens’ Wave Rising

Manifesto via Madrilonia.org

February 23, noon.

Dear people,

I’m so excited. Today is the Grand Opening of the Revolutionary Season 2013! Everybody is going to be there. The white wave, the green wave, the red wave the blue wave. Wow. It’s going to be rainbow, it’s going to be everywhere, and it’s just the beginning.

The Puerta del Sol continues to be occupied. Police may harass, police may evict, but they can’t refrain people from returning to their square, over and over again. Notwithstanding the cold, notwithstanding the rain.

People are fed up. They demand that the government resigns, they demand that the economic system serves them, the people, and not the financial and political elites.

In particular, people demand free education, universal health care, decent affordable housing, an end to political corruption, an end to the discrimination of women, gays, coloured people etc. etc. In short, people demand a human society. Today will be the opening salvo. It’s going to be big.

We might not achieve this ambitious yet reasonable goal today, or tomorrow. Not even this year. But we’ll be back, for as long as necessary. We are the people.

The waves will converge on parliament. The building will be stormed. Check out the marches and tonight’s aftermath on SpanishRevolution.TV and on GlobalRevolution.TV.

Me, I’m in the studio for a change. If all goes well with the connection, I’ll be doing comment and translation live on GlobalRev.

Good day, and good luck!

Sol Evicted, Doesn’t Cede

Eviction of Sol this morning. Photo via @LuuNekoNyu

February 11

Dear people,

After a massive demo on Saturday, people in Murcia took the square in solidarity with Sol. This morning, while a growing share of the Spanish population demands that the government steps down and that a popular bill against foreclosures is adopted, both the camps have been evicted by police.

The move comes after a cold and rainy night. Defiant occupiers were holding the square for the eighth night in a row, making an appeal through Twitter for more blankets, canvases and something warm to eat. It took little time before the call was heeded. ‘Start gathering some cups,’ somebody tweeted, ‘I will be down with a pan of soup in 15 mins.’

Since this morning’s eviction police do not even allow for a backpack to be placed on the ground. People have been protesting and holding signs in the square all day. They vow to keep occupying the square one way or another. Tonight, there will be demos in Sol and throughout Spain.

The objective is to bring down the government. Because a government that ignores the just reclamations of the citizens, or that responds to peaceful protests with force, does not have any legitimacy. Especially if it is involved in a corruption scandal that permeates the entire governing party apparatus.

There is only one occupation of public space that needs to be evicted right now. The Moncloa.

Continued resistance at Sol. Photo via @InviernosAlSol

Bugsy

Bugsy Siegel (1906-1947), ‘founder’ of Las Vegas

February 9

“Corruption is linked to power. In a capitalist system, it’s the capital that detains this power. The quest for accumulation, profit and personal benefit forms an essential part of an ideology that worships individual enrichment, a false and criminal idea of ‘competitiveness’, ambition and greed over values aimed at​​ cooperation, mutual support and the common good.”

- From a comuniqué against corruption, launched today by the Economy working group of Sol

Dear people,

Officials of the Popular Party governing the capital region of Madrid are convinced that a Las Vegas franchise can save Spain from the economic crisis. This is no joke. This is the same Popular Party which is involved in a corruption scandal that goes from top to bottom.

With these people in power, what do you think will happen when the third richest man of America – multi-billionaire Sheldon Adelson - knocks on the door with a project to build 750 hectares of hotels, restaurants, malls and theatres, a sports stadium, six casino’s and three golf courses?

Exactly. I thought the same.

Yesterday, after more than a year of negotiations and protests it was announced that Europa Vegas will be built (if at all) in Alcorcón near Madrid over the course of the next twelve years. During the evening, people demonstrated against the project in Sol.

In the meantime, another person who was about to be evicted from his home committed suicide in Córdoba, leaving wife and daughter behind.

In Paris, local indignados staged a demo at the Spanish embassy, demanding the resignation of the government.

Tonight, at Sol, it’s carnaval. Earlier, the occupants launched a call to action ‘For a European Spring’ on March 13.

“While (…) policies are designed to rescue big banks and big business, we, the vast majority, are made to pay for the excesses of the privileged.

All over Europe struggles and strikes are happening against these unjust policies. These struggles are our struggles, and we reject the violent attempts of European states to suppress them. Now is the time for solidarity across borders and sectors, to be the force to create real democracy and social justice. We are seeking to build a society where solutions, very different to those defended by the elites and imposed by the EU, can be proposed and discussed by everybody.

We call for actions, strikes and demonstrations on the 13th of March across Europe as part of a week of European resistance, with a mass mobilisation on the 14th in Brussels targeting the EU Spring Summit. We will show those in power that our growing movement will, sooner or later, be strong enough to change the course of Europe in the interest of us all.”

Winters at Sol

Occupation of BBVA bank in Barcelona, 7 Feb. Photo via @Xaviandreu

February 7

Dear people,

To the thoughtful words with which Ada Colau had presented the popular bill against foreclosures in the senate economic commission, the authorities have responded with a platoon of riot police.

At four o’ clock in the morning police evicted the protest camp in front of Bankia headquarters, where a few dozen people had spent the winter to demonstrate against a public bank that throws its own citizens out on the street.

Outrage exploded early in the morning. In Barcelona a BBVA bank franchise was occupied all day long. In Madrid, student protests continue as we speak. On the Puerta del Sol, the General Assembly of the ongoing occupation has just launched its manifesto… (Eng)

“On February 3 (…) we decided to stay in our Plaza del Sol [sic] (…)

We belong to the streets, the streets belong to us, we will not leave.

We are citizens fighting against corruption. We are people united by the same interests and we want to claim and stimulate civic struggle.

(…) we appeal to the people to mobilize and demand with us the effective investigation of illegitimate debt, the mass resignation of the government, the repeal of the current constitution and the formation of a constituent assembly to prepare a new constitution capable of returning citizens power over markets and economic corporations, which currently have kidnapped the rule of law.

We need your ideas, your actions and your media. We are young, elderly, students, the unemployed, workers, pensioners, evicted…

We are winters at Sol.”

Popular Legislation

This morning’s student demo in Madrid. Photo via @YoEPublica

Dear People,

Yesterday evening, while demonstrators were preparing to spend their third night in the square, a representative of the mortgage victim platform presented a popular bill in the senate economic commission, backed up by over a million signatures and a ninety percent approval rating.

She did an extraordinary job. In forty minutes she eloquently explained the nature of the mortgage scam, the devastating effects of foreclosures on society, the complicity of the government and the way in which neighbouring countries deal with these problems: generally a lot better. The bill demands immediate cessation of all evictions, the retroactive remission of debt in case of foreclosure and the redistribution of abandoned property among evicted families on the basis of a social lease.

In other news, this morning, students went on strike throughout the country. A national day of action is being planned for February 16. The occupation of Sol continues.

Occupation Update

Barcelona this morning. PHoto via Flickr

February 5, 1730 hrs.

Dear people,

The occupations continue. Forty people spent the night at Plaça Sant Jaume in Barcelona. The acampada has been going on since the protests against government corruption exploded on January 31. This morning, police surrounded the camp and arrested a man who was supposedly on his way to work.

The Sant Jaume square in Barcelona has a very strong political signifance. It is bounded by city hall and by the palace of the ‘Generalitat’, the regional Catalan government. Throughout the day people have gathered on the square in support of the occupation.

As explained by Thais Bonilla in her article ‘Vuelta a las plazas’, the 15M’s strategy is not simply to protest, but to publically shame all of those who have accepted bribes. They have disgraced the trust of the citizens, and they must be outcast. “The idea would be to organise demonstrations wherever those responsible for this scam can be found, and make it a continuous persecution.”

In Madrid the original five of Sol have multiplied considerably as forty people camped out on the square for the second night in a row. The renascent Acampada in Sol can be followed through their Twitter account @inviernosalsol, ‘sunny winters’.

At the time of writing, reports of occupations in Valencia and Zaragoza could not be confirmed. The General Assembly of Sol is now in session, live at SpanishRevolution.TV. The appointments for tonight, for every night, are 7PM at the PP Party Headquarters in Madrid, and at 8PM, pan bashing at Plaça Catalunya in Barcelona.

Re-Occupy!

Acampada Sol, February 3, 2013. Photo via @Desobediencia_

February 4, 1600 hrs.

Dear People,

The Puerta del Sol in Madrid is being occupied since last night. Five people have slept on the square under the equestrian statue to mark the start of an indefinite protest against government corruption and austerity measures. They were baptised ‘#Las5deSol’, and they have been subject to fervent tweeting ever since the sun came up.

Right now, citizens are gathering in the square. According to rumours, there are people occupying in Valencia as well. In Berlin, there was a demonstration against key corruption suspect and visiting prime minister Mariano Rajoy.

At five, there will be a General Assembly in Sol. Today’s call is not only to storm Popular Party headquarters, but also to occupy for as long as the government doesn’t resign.

Keep checking SpanishRevolution.TV, TomaLaTele.TV, @15MBcn_Int and @GlobalRevLive.

Agora 99

Magdalena Abakanowicz ‘Agora’ (2006) in Grant Park, Chicago. Photo by JCTRambler

November 2

Dear people,

Three times already I have witnessed an international meeting under the name of ‘Agora’. First in Brussels, then in Rome and finally in Athens. All three of them coincided with the arrival of international marches, and to put it very mildly, none of them changed the world.

This weekend, activists from all over Europe have gathered in Madrid for the Agora 99 meeting on Debt, Democracy and Rights. The meeting was called for by Blockupy Frankfurt last spring. In three different social centres, today and tomorrow, workshops are planned on the aforementioned topics. I’m not going to follow all of it, I don’t have the patience. I’ll wait for the recap in Sunday’s general assembly in Sol.

A couple of things I can say, though, comparing this meeting to the other agora’s I’ve been to. First, it is shorter, much more concentrated, much better organised. Second, there are many very bright people present from different backgrounds. People with valuable experiences and ideas to share. That’s what this is all about. It’s an excellent occasion to create connections.

In this sense, the first workshop was particularly interesting. It was about the wonderful world of live streaming and advanced tactical media. I’ve been digging in to this subject for a while now, and this technology will go a long way. We are creating an army, worldwide, and we have only just started. We will rock the boat in the years to come.

One fine example of popular media is GlobalRevolution.tv, online 24 hours a day since September 17, 2011, the day Wall Street was occupied. During the acampada in Sol, I was already fantasising about the possibilities of grass roots news coverage. I envisioned collaborative national and international news channels. And not just me. Comrades Jack and Vicky of the Audiovisual commission had been actively developing the tools which would make it possible.

But one thing is to create the channel. Another thing, even harder, is to keep it going. Together with dozens of editors worldwide, they succeeded. Last October 13, in occasion of Global Noise, they also launched a national channel, SpanishRevolution.tv. Revolution is becoming a brand.

Over the last 18 months, only a few of our news sources have managed to continue disseminating news about the movement consistently, on a daily basis. One of those is the International Commission of the Acampada Barcelona. It has been a pleasure to meet them once again, as it has been on various other occasions. They too have been doing an outstanding job.

The official program of the first full day of Agora has ended with the screening of a recent Mexican-Spanish documentary about the 15M movement. As far as I know, it’s the second documentary on the subject, next to the beautiful chronicle that was launched right after the end of the acampada. If you have an hour’s time to spend, and you don’t have any trouble understanding Spanish, it’s definitely worth the watch…