Since the early morning, groups held protest actions in front of banks and chain shops, shutting down many of them and convincing others to participate in the general strike. Around midday, large groups of people – often forming spontaneous demonstrations – converged from all sides onto the city centre. There, at least ten thousand people started a loud and colourful cacerolazo demonstration, banging on pots and pans, lamp poles and police cars... Protest rallies ("escraches") were held in front of a big bank which is involved in the arms business, at the stock exchange and at the ministry of the economy.

Moving back to the city centre, a group of protestors shut down the Burger King at Plaza Catalunya and opened a popular kitchen on the street in front of it. Many passers-by enjoyed the delicious veggie burgers served here.

Demonstrations continued until the late evening, including an anarchist demo, a shut-down protest at a petrol station, and a human mosaic. As every night during the past weeks, a giant cacerolazo ended the day. All over the city, people got out on the streets or on their balconies at 10pm, banging on pots and pans. As every night, a deafening roar filled the streets, a massive outcry against the war.

This day of action was just the latest in a long series of events against the war, which have been taking place in Barcelona and elsewhere in the Spanish state during the past weeks. In Barcelona, seven houses were squatted for anti-war events, demonstrations took place on almost a daily basis, and several camps were set up in the city centre, one of them directly in front of the doors of the local government palace, were activist groups and social movements discussed the war, the relation of the anti-war movement to other social movements, and where actions were planned.


Pictures:
1 - Impressions from the demonstration
2 - In the morning: spontaneous demonstrations started in many places, growing as they got closer to the centre.
3 – Escraches at a bank in the city centre. Some colour was applied...
4 – Escrache at the heavily-guarded stock exchange.
5 – A popular kitchen is created in front of "Murder King".
6 – Cacerolazo in the evening.