Spanish protests mobilize masses for political renewal

Spain's one-month-old protest movement was Monday seen as gathering momentum, after more than 200,000 people took to the streets around the country.
The movement demanding democratic reforms had demonstrated its capacity to peacefully mobilize large numbers of people, and could no longer be ignored by political and economic leaders, commentators said.
Demonstrations were held in about 60 cities Sunday to demand profound changes to the current political and economic system, which the protesters see as only serving the powerful.
The massive rallies echoed those on May 15, when the movement - known as 15-M - was launched, following calls on the internet by young activists.
People of all ages joined Sunday's rallies, calling for an end to Spain's 20-per-cent unemployment, corruption, the power of financial markets over politics and European Union policies involving cuts in social spending.
The peaceful nature of the protests restored the reputation of the movement, which had begun to lose its credibility on taking a violent turn in Barcelona last week.
In those incidents, demonstrators insulted and pushed regional lawmakers, sparking clashes with police. More than 40 people were injured.
Representatives of the movement condemned the violence, blaming it on infiltrators.
About 200 intellectuals warned against allowing the violent incidents to 'criminalize' the movement. In a manifesto published in Barcelona, they described the 15-M as a 'champion of democracy' seeking to give the power back to the people.
Some analysts on Monday stressed the heterogeneous nature of the movement, which does not have a clear joint programme. 'The 15-M runs the risk of becoming diluted,' the conservative daily El Mundo wrote.
The daily described some of the movement's goals as 'childish,' such as attempts to influence EU policy or calling a general strike without joining forces with trade unions.
Many analysts, however, see the 15-M as a ground-breaking phenomenon heralding historic changes.
The movement has already spread to other countries, with rallies echoing it being staged around Europe and the Americas.
The emergence of the 15-M signalled 'the end of a cycle' and the launch of a 'political renewal,' sociologist Lorenzo Navarrete said.
Demonstrators have now vacated most of city or town squares they had occupied for a month, and are diversifying their activities. The protests range from rallies to prevent evictions of people unable to pay mortgages, to weeks-long marches from different parts of Spain to Madrid.
Members of the movement even managed to enter a shareholders' meeting of Santander, Spain's biggest bank, telling its chairman Emilio Botin that financial speculation had 'sowed the seed of injustice.'
Sunday's demonstrators also chanted slogans against Botin - one of the favourite targets of the movement - who is under investigation over allegations that he and his family did not declare Swiss bank accounts to the Spanish tax authorities.
It was becoming increasingly difficult for decision-makers, ranging from bankers to politicians, to ignore the movement, the daily El Pais said.
Spanish political leaders have been wary of angering the young protesters. Some mainstream politicians have even begun adopting the language of the movement, with for instance Catalan nationalist Josep Antoni Duran Lleida admitting on Monday that financial markets had 'sequestered' politics.
The 15-M was bound to influence party programmes in the March 2012 general elections, analysts agreed.
The movement was 'the future,' said 94-year-old writer Jose Luis Sampedro, who is regarded as one of its ideological leaders.
'I want you to see that the (current) system does not have anything to offer, apart from money and the logic of benefit,' Sampedro said.

 

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