Madrid: Reclaim The Streets

national | miscellaneous | news report Friday May 17, 2002 23:56 by lahaine lahaine at lahaine dot org

In Madrid, Chiefs of State and government officials of Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean are metting 17-18 of May to celebrate the good progress of their business and their global economy; to compensate the support, the free hand and the sympathy of "leaders" from the other side of the Atlantic; to feast on the profits achieved by the neoliberal policies imposed by the centre upon the periphery: the profits of Telefonica, Deustche Telecom, Repsol, Endesa, BBVA... Madrid refuses to be pigsty and inn for such undesirable riders. Transatlantic Social Forum

Latest News

Constant updates - Reclaim the streets:

21.10: Demonstrators are gathering inside Reina Sofía Museum Plaza.

21.07: People entering, the end of the march. The group "Samba Da Rua" is getting people very high.

21.05: More than 3000 people estimated. More vans and anti-riots coming despite the party atmosphere. More cops are waiting at the end of the march. Many people have seen covering face and mouth because of something like pepper spray, with difficulties to breath.

20.48: The back and rear rear of the demonstration is being watched close by 50 cops and six vans in each side. A fake paper coin ressembling an Euro is being burnt by demonstrators. Activists heve painted a National TV mobile unit with the mottos: "Television=Manipulation" and "Capitalists=Murderers". There are plenty of undercover agents prowling around.

20.42: 9 anti-riot cops are guarding a bank branch in the way of the demonstration (La Caixa). Still the party is going on so far.

20.24: All along the demonstration route, in every access to the main street, there are police check-points (six riot cops and a van). The neighbours get into the party, cheering up from their houses' windows.

20.23: Flags against the spreading of basque prisioners are being seen. Chorus pro Palestinian people can be heard.

20.17: Colour all over and lots of party. The samba is going wild.

20.02: About 2000 people are now beginning to march. People is dancing samba-style.

19.57: The placard leading the protest reminds: "Reclaim the streets, take your life back, invent your city all over again". The atmosphere is as good as it gets.

19.51: There is a performance going on on a podium in the streets. It's three people dressed in costumes. There are several samba groups ralliyng.

19.49: The balloon pick-up carries a placard with the motto: "We are an army of dreamers, therefore we are invincible".

19.47: A bunch of demonstrators turn up along with a pick_up loaded with a huge earth-shaped ballon, with the motto: "The planet is not yours". The demonstration has just started.

19.24: Still more people arriving, now between five hundred or one thousand are gathering in tha square. There are up to three police checkpoints in the road towards Puerta del Sol (shopping center of Madrid). Searchings still going on. There are police vans surrounding the square and many undercover agents. In Puerta del Sol strong police forces.

19.13: The meeting point is being crowded: more than two hundred people by now, and still many to come. Every access is being filtered and controlled by police checkpoints, so making it into the place is being hard. People are dribbling in slowly. EVERYBODY is being frisked.

19.03: When entering Plaza Benavente, at the beginning of the "Reclaim the streets" demonstration, police is performing searchings, opening bags to check its contains.

19.13: The meeting point is being crowded: more than two hundred people by now, and still many to come. Every access is being filtered and controlled by police checkpoints, so making it into the place is being hard. People are dribbling in slowly. EVERY BODY is being frisked.

Photo Gallery from action rally and signature delivery against Genocide in Guatemala - Madrid, morning
[17.05.02]
http://www.lahaine.org/global/madrid/galeria_guatemala.htm

Constant updates - Action rally and signature delivery against Genocide in Guatemala:

11.23: 20 or 30 people are now concentrating in Plaza Colón (square) bringing drums, instruments, costumes and other stuff to protest against Guatemala genocide. Police is performing ID checkings to every demonstrator, which are finding difficulties to demonstrate properly.

11.48: 2 groups of 15 people are now heading towards the Justice Court to bring there the 3700 signatures collected against Guatemala genocide. A collective from Guatemala has just arrived to bring those signatures. There are 8 police vans. They have caught many photo films along indiscriminate registers. These have started as demonstrators came out from the subway.

11.59: Demonstrators have displayed a placard in front of Colon Monument, to be seen from Paseo de Recoletos, against EU and USA neocolonialism, genocide and state terrorism in Latin America. Demonstrators and many reporters are taking photographs. Meanwhile, police is watching everything.
Activists are arranging a performance dressed military-like. Others are dressed like buisnessmen with multinational enterprises logos . There is one demonstrator dressed in green, whith an anti-gas mask, as if he was from CESID (spanish intelligence agency).

12.00: Performance: In one side there are bussinessmen, and in the other, southamerican colonializated countries (argentina, méxico…) whose are being sold by auction to transnational companies. Those companies are being helped by military and paramilitary groups..

12.12: Police is quiet. Demonstrators are now showing two more placards: one says " Multinational companies order, politicians obey"; the other says "Against genocide and state terrorism in Guatemala: justice and punishment to the killers". This placard is been displayed by State Organisation of Solidarity with Guatemala.

12.28: The performance has just finished.

12.38: Demonstrators are now in Villa de París square, trying to reach the High Justice Court, but police won't allow them in. There are about 20 people in front of the French Institute.

12.45: About 5 activists have been allowed by the police to enter the Court trough a backdoor. Escorted by police, they have finally delivered the 3700 signatures.

www.lahaine.org/madrid_eng.htm