Latest News
Madrid: May 17-19

MAY 19 - AGAINST CAPITALIST GLOBALISATION AND REPRESSSION. Constant updates

14.16: Heading towards the end of the march, Hebe de Bonafini leads (May Square Mothers-Argentina), followed in this order: Official parties, Anarchist unions (CNT), communist organisations, Asturians, Galizians, Cubans, Colombians and Gutemalans. There are few police vans. Atmosphere is quiet and merry.

14.13: Clash-party atmosphere. Everybody's singing: "Inmigration Law for Queen Sophia".

14.00: There is a music band performing in support to Cuba, cheering people up with sudden rushes and immediate sittings on the path. Everybody's dancing.

13.53: Report from La Haine's Undercover Cops Detector: A man, around 30, dressed in a green pants, jeans jacket, slim, burnts, sun glasses; prowls around Casa del Liro (Gran Vía/Mesonero Romanos)

13.44: Police display in Plaza de España and all along the demonstrator is low.

13.42: All crowded from Cibeles to Callao. Chorus and propaganda pro Cuba, Fidel and Che Guevara are visible everywhere.

13.36: The front is now marching along Gran Vía, passing by Telefonica building. They are strongly hooting the building and playing drums. Traffic in Gran Via is blocked until Plaza de España; the surroundings are clear police.

13.33: Cops are quiet, no helmets on, guarding McDonalds and bank branches. People are singing against police brutality and pro solidarity with Palestine and Latin America.

13.13: The demonstration reaches Círculo de Bellas Artes [between Alcalá and Gran Vía], the rear is still by Museo del Prado. 100.000 are estimated to be taking part.

13.09: The front of the demonstration is passing by Cibeles fountain. There is a police van every 30 mts. in Gran Vía, along with an anti-riot cop every 55 mts. Although in the surroundings there is not many police forces displayed. Galiza Nova carries a placard: "Cuba and Galiza pro National Sovereignty". There is a flag from Bloque Nacionalista Galego (nationalists from Galiza), which are singing "We all are Herri Batasuna".

13.06: Dozens of basque people are carrying basque flags and placards against the spreading of basque political prisoners, along with a huge placard with the motto: "Herri asko hikuntz bakarra. ERESISTENTZIA". About 50 people from Asturies reclaim: "Another world is possible".


12.48: A group of Colombians are carrying a huge pirate ship, in which sails can be read: "Colombia: State terrorism. Stop paramilitarism". Samba da Rua has just arrivved , bringing along lots of party and fun. 20.000 people.

12.39: Visible palestinian flag (15x5 mts.), and cuban one (4x2 mts.), carried along by about 300 people from the Solidarity with Cuba Committe. A huge placard demands "Euthanasia for Aznar".

12.37: People from Galiza are cheering up the atmosphere with music and dancing. The demonstration marches in slowly. Still people arriving to the meeting point.

12.31: Hebe de Bonafini and some other Mothers from May Square (Argentina) are leading the deomonstration.

12.27: From Atocha to Neptuno Square people are crowding the demonstration route. About 20.000 people by now. The demonstration is beginning to march in order to allow people joining. Remarkable flags and placards supporting struggles in Colombia, Palestine, Morocco, Cuba, Galiza y Castilla.

12.13: Thousands of people now rallying in Atocha (meeting point). Not large amount of police forces displayed quite yet.




Photo gallery "March towards the summit"
[17.05.02]

May 18 - March towards the summit:
Constant update

12.40: POLICE IS GOING TRICKY: There were 2 hours and a half legal time for demostrating, as well as 1 and a half for concentrating, within which the band was supposed to be playing. The band has been harassed so that they would not play, and therefore the remaining concentrating time has been revoked by the cops. The police has been spreading rumours about riots during the demonstrations (all false) to prevent new groups of people from joining the march. All their efforts are being done to prevent peoplee from freely protesting.


12.25: Every crossing street is being blocked, but the one leading back downtown. In the avenue leading towards the Summit there are 30 police motorbikes, with one driver and one anti-riot cop armed with a gun per bike. They seem to be ready to chase any activist trying to reach the Summit.

12.18: The concert (playing Habeas Corpus) foreplanned has been cancelled due to extreme police pressure against the band and truck in which they intended to perform. People is angry, because cops preence is upsetting. It is being considered the chance of moving to a Social Ceenter (squatt) by the place.

12.11: Demonstrators are reaching Ciudad Lineal, the end of the march. Police is surrounding the place.


11.53: About 5000 thousand people already. Police pressure is getting high, about 50 vans "escort" the rear of the march. The people sings against the cops to soften the atmosphere.

11.27: People chanting: "Yankees go home", "Aznar, listen, FARC rules!" and "This democracy is a lie"

11.20: Alcala St. (route to the Summit) being blocked. Cops start surrounding demonstrators.

11.13: There are 8 police vans leading the march, 8 more in the rear and about 100 anti-riot cops wathing from the right side.

11.12: About 2500 people march towards the Summit.

11.07: CAUTION - UNDERCOVER POLICE CHIEF EXPOSED. A man in a brown corduroy jacket, blue jeans, beard, dark glasses, thick complexion. At the beginning of the march he is been discussing with another two people weirdly fitted in the rally. They look like a couple of rhinos inside a fish bowl.
They might be the "radicals" in charge to spark off rioting.

11.04: The demonstration starts just now.

10.54: Still more people coming. A placard demands: "Media: When will you see Chomsky?" More placards in support to the struggle of Colombian people. The march still remains in Ventas, meeting point.

10.32: About 1000 people already. Many anarchist flags can be seen, along with CNT (Anarchist Union) logos and placards. The march has not started already.


10.09: About 500 hundred people rallied by now, still many more coming. 40 anti-riot police vans watching demonstrators. Checkpoints located outside underground station exits, searchings being performed. Many cops, as usual, but not as many as expected.




Photo gallery "Reclaim the streets"
[17.05.02]

Constant updates - Reclaim the streets:

21.26: There are a lot of people dressed in red performing an astonishing samba drumming session, along with fire juggling.

21.25: People remain in RSM Plaza. A press note is being performed dramatic-style: Bush, Aznar and several soldiers chat: "Thanks Bush for invading our countries, and for supporting military goverments".


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]

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.