Camp Stays For Election Day

There was no sign of the police moving to disperse the Sol protest camp last night, which was probably very wise on their part. There were a huge number of people camping out in the square, some sleeping, some sitting around chatting, the odd guitar here and there. They covered virtually the entire square, and the camp looks firmly entrenched. Someone had even been busy replanting the trampled flower beds around one of the fountains with a herb garden.

I don't think I've emphasised yet how out of the blue this protest has come. There had been some relatively small demonstrations that I'd seen, often union organised, and some posters and graffiti, but no real sign of any great anger at the crisis until now and it seems to have taken everyone by surprise. Furthermore, this isn't a usual kind of occurence in Spain and hasn't been seen since the transition to democracy. Where the movement goes from here after today's local elections, and how the political class reacts to it, will be very interesting. There are parallels with the 'Arab spring' protests, particularly Tahrir Square in Egypt, although obviously the stakes are different. However, both are demanding greater democratisation and representation and expressing anger at being marginalised. How Spain will change to reflect their demands, or if it can, will be fascinating to watch.