Spain’s Indignado’s Converge on Madrid, and head to Brussels
This week, the Spanish protesters who launched the "yes we can" campaign are returning to the streets in their fight against austerity measures. As opposed to in other protest movements that emerged in the sprin gof 2011 (Ahem, Egypt) the "indignado" movement boasts the support of pretty much the entire population, according to this Al Jazeera report.
Broad based support is great but you still have to keep up the momentum. That, in fact, is the impetus behind this week's new round of marches and sit-ins. Rather than just meeting up at the square, though, the protesters came from all over Spain. 7 routes all met in Madrid. There were 600 walkers and thousands in the square according to this Tweet. Al Jazeera gave more details:
Protestors carrying sleeping bags and groundsheets had set off from cities across the country at the end of June, including Barcelona, Malaga, Valencia and Bilbao. Many marchers used the opportunity to stop on the way to Madrid by holding public meetings to spread their message of outrage at unemployment, welfare cuts and corruption. Residents of Madrid, who sympathized with the protestors, joined the marchers on Saturday as they reached the outskirts of the Spanish capital to make their way to a rally at the Puerta del Sol Square.
By initiating a march through the country to their destination the #SpanishRevolution indignados are more likely to attract the attention of and engage with those Spaniards who haven't yet gotten involved. The more people they attract on their way, the more people will be there - or at least be watching from afar- for the protest. Incidentally, this is the same tactic that worked for Egyptian protesters on January 25th.
Update: Indignados are now headed to Brussels. On their way, they plan to hold meetings, collect complaints and proposals.
