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as soon as it was known that they had been prohibited. [51]
The New York Times cited El País and noted the strong or-
ganization of the protesters, particularly the 200 people
who had been placed in charge of security, and the use of
Twitter to ensure dissemination of their message. [52] The
Washington Post again reported on the protests in Puerta
del Sol, giving them the name of a “revolution,” estimat-
ing that 10,000 people attended Wednesday afternoon’s
protest, and comparing the protests with those in Cairo’s
Tahrir Square, which had recently ousted Egyptian presi-
dent Hosni Mubarak. [53] The BBC made reference to the
peaceful nature of the protests in Puerta del Sol. [9]
In the evening, the President of the Regional Electoral
Committee of Madrid issued a statement declaring the
protests illegal because “calls for a responsible vote can
change the results of the elections.” [54] Police units sta-
tioned at Plaza del Sol, however, received orders from
the Government Delegation not to take out any further
action. [55]
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2011 EVENTS
3.1.5 20 May
According to Britain’s The Guardian, “tens of thousands”
had camped out in Madrid and throughout the country on
the night of 19–20 May. [56]
United Left appealed the Electoral Board’s decision
to ban the protests before Spain’s Supreme Court. [57]
Shortly afterward, the State Prosecution presented its ar-
guments to the court. [58]
Appeal before the Supreme Court Spain’s public
broadcaster, RTVE, reported that the State Prosecu-
tor upheld the decision taken by the Central Electoral
Board [59] to ban the rallies. [60] Meanwhile, the police an-
nounced that they had been given instructions not to dis-
solve the crowd at Puerta del Sol provided that there was
no disturbance of the peace. [61]
Appeal before the Tribunal Constitucional RTVE
later reported that the country’s Constitutional Court had
been deliberating since 7:30 p.m. whether to review
an appeal against the decision of the Central Electoral
Board. [62] At 10:08 p.m., RTVE reported that the Con-
stitutional Court had rejected the appeal on the formality
that the appellant had not appealed first to the Supreme
Court. [63]
At 10:47 p.m. United Left announced it would appeal the
Supreme Court’s decision before the Tribunal Constitu-
cional. They had until midnight. [64]
At around 11:00 p.m., some 16,000 (according to the po-
lice) to 19,000 (according to other sources) people were
gathered at and around Puerta del Sol. [65]
Protests and tents in Madrid on 20 May
3.1.6 May 21
In Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga and other cities, May 21
started with a “mute scream” followed by cheers and
applause. [66] Smaller cities, such as Granada, decided to
start before midnight to avoid disturbing the neighbors.
These protests occurred even though protests on the day
before elections are banned. [67]
Since 18 May, support protests occurred daily in several major
cities outside Spain, including Dublin, Berlin, London and Paris
(shown here on 20 May)
Around 28,000 people (according to the police) crowded
Puerta del Sol and the neighboring streets despite the
prohibition. Other cities also gathered large numbers of
people: 15,000 in Malaga, 10,000 in Valencia, 8,000 in
Barcelona, 6,000 in Zaragoza, 4,000 in Seville, 3,000
in Bilbao, 3,000 in Palma, 2,000 in Gijón, 2,000 in
Oviedo, 1,500 in Granada, 1,000 in Vigo, 800 in Alme-
ria, around 800 in Avilés, 600 in Cadiz, 200 in Huelva,
and around 100 in Jaen. [66] Demonstrations also occurred
in other European cities, with 300 protesters participat-
ing in London, 500 in Amsterdam, [68] 600 in Brussels
and 200 in Lisbon. Minor demonstrations occurred in
Athens, Milan, Budapest, Tangiers, Paris, Berlin, Vienna
and Rome. [66]