SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
'Food, Dignity, and a Roof': Thousands March Against Austerity in Spanish Capital
Protesters are mobilizing for a general strike ahead of national elections
Mar 22, 2015
A "March for Dignity" drew thousands to the Spanish capital on Saturday in the latest show of mass opposition to the government's harsh austerity policies that have slashed public goods--from education to public health to unemployment assistance.
As they marched through Madrid, protesters carried banners that read, "Food, jobs and a roof with dignity. Walking toward the general strike."
"We have mobilized here for the young people because in Extremadura youth unemployment is almost 60 percent," 28-year-old Antonio Laso, from southwestern Spain, told the Guardian.
"The government wants to deny reality, and that is why we are here," Javier Garcia, a spokesperson for the March for Dignity, told VICE News.
He said protesters are fighting for "the recovery of some public services related to education and health, to protest against the payment of the debt, which we consider unfair and illegal as it has not been contracted by the people's decision, and to position us against the TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), a free commerce treaty between both economic areas that is going to bring more poverty to our country."
The rally, which follows a last year's March for Dignity, is part of escalating mobilizations aimed at building towards a general strike in October--ahead of the national elections.
The demonstration came one day before Andalusia's regional election on Sunday--which many say will be a test of popular support for the left-wing, anti-austerity Podemos party in the lead-up to the general election.
This region is stricken by poverty and joblessness, with more than a third of all people unemployed--a rate higher than the national average of 25 percent.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare is the editor of Workday Magazine and a contributing editor for In These Times. She is a former Staff Writer at Common Dreams. She comes from a background in independent journalism for publications including The Intercept, The Nation, and Tom Dispatch.
A "March for Dignity" drew thousands to the Spanish capital on Saturday in the latest show of mass opposition to the government's harsh austerity policies that have slashed public goods--from education to public health to unemployment assistance.
As they marched through Madrid, protesters carried banners that read, "Food, jobs and a roof with dignity. Walking toward the general strike."
"We have mobilized here for the young people because in Extremadura youth unemployment is almost 60 percent," 28-year-old Antonio Laso, from southwestern Spain, told the Guardian.
"The government wants to deny reality, and that is why we are here," Javier Garcia, a spokesperson for the March for Dignity, told VICE News.
He said protesters are fighting for "the recovery of some public services related to education and health, to protest against the payment of the debt, which we consider unfair and illegal as it has not been contracted by the people's decision, and to position us against the TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), a free commerce treaty between both economic areas that is going to bring more poverty to our country."
The rally, which follows a last year's March for Dignity, is part of escalating mobilizations aimed at building towards a general strike in October--ahead of the national elections.
The demonstration came one day before Andalusia's regional election on Sunday--which many say will be a test of popular support for the left-wing, anti-austerity Podemos party in the lead-up to the general election.
This region is stricken by poverty and joblessness, with more than a third of all people unemployed--a rate higher than the national average of 25 percent.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare is the editor of Workday Magazine and a contributing editor for In These Times. She is a former Staff Writer at Common Dreams. She comes from a background in independent journalism for publications including The Intercept, The Nation, and Tom Dispatch.
A "March for Dignity" drew thousands to the Spanish capital on Saturday in the latest show of mass opposition to the government's harsh austerity policies that have slashed public goods--from education to public health to unemployment assistance.
As they marched through Madrid, protesters carried banners that read, "Food, jobs and a roof with dignity. Walking toward the general strike."
"We have mobilized here for the young people because in Extremadura youth unemployment is almost 60 percent," 28-year-old Antonio Laso, from southwestern Spain, told the Guardian.
"The government wants to deny reality, and that is why we are here," Javier Garcia, a spokesperson for the March for Dignity, told VICE News.
He said protesters are fighting for "the recovery of some public services related to education and health, to protest against the payment of the debt, which we consider unfair and illegal as it has not been contracted by the people's decision, and to position us against the TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), a free commerce treaty between both economic areas that is going to bring more poverty to our country."
The rally, which follows a last year's March for Dignity, is part of escalating mobilizations aimed at building towards a general strike in October--ahead of the national elections.
The demonstration came one day before Andalusia's regional election on Sunday--which many say will be a test of popular support for the left-wing, anti-austerity Podemos party in the lead-up to the general election.
This region is stricken by poverty and joblessness, with more than a third of all people unemployed--a rate higher than the national average of 25 percent.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.