anti-austerity movement in spain Anti-Austerity-Movement-in-Spain | Page 6

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3
2011 EVENTS
venting them from entering the building. Demonstra-
tions in front of the Parliament are banned in Madrid,
but the protest finished without incident. [84] In Valencia,
dozens of people decided to stay in front of the regional
Parliament. [85] In Barcelona, around 50 people protested
outside the Catalan Parliament against Felip Puig. [86]
3.2.4
9 June
In the morning, police clashed with protesters in Valencia,
injuring 18. [87] As a response to the police violence,
demonstrators called for a protest in the city later that day,
which gathered around 2,000 people. Support demon-
strations were held in Barcelona and Madrid, the latter
ending up in front of the Parliament for a second night.
Barcelona’s protest finished in front of the Popular Party’s
office. [88][89]
3.2.5
11 June
Police confront a demonstrator outside the Catalan Parliament
on 15 June
as former Minister of Labour Celestino Corbacho, were
jostled, heckled and sprayed on their way in, while others
used police helicopters to get to the parliament, includ-
ing the president of Catalonia, Artur Mas. [93] Although
lawmakers managed to enter the Catalonian Parliament,
the scheduled session started with a 15-minute delay. [94]
By midday, most of the protesters remained outside the
parliament, while some confronted police with rocks and
bottles. At least 36 people were injured, 12 of them
Mossos d'Esquadra, and six people were arrested.
Thousands of indignados from the whole country concen-
trated at the gates of major city halls during the mayors’
swearing-ins after the elections. Protesters broke in on
the act in Granada, while two activists were arrested in
Burgos and three in Palma. In Castellón, the police dis-
The protest was criticized by politicians across the coun-
solved the demonstration violently. [90]
try. During a press conference, Mas warned of a possi-
ble “legitimate use of force” in case demonstrators stayed
3.2.6 12 June
outside the Parliament, and he called on the public to
be understanding. Some politicians went so far as to
On Sunday, 12 June, four weeks after the protests had denounce an attempted “coup d'etat.” [95] Acampadabcn,
begun, protesters in the Puerta del Sol in Madrid began the organiser of the event, and ¡Democracia Real YA!
to leave, dismantling the camp site; packing up tents, li- “rejected” the use of violence but denounced the crim-
braries, and shops; and removing protest signs from sur- inalization of the movement by the media. [96] On Twit-
rounding sites. [91]
ter and other social networks, many users suggested the
possibility that secret police, infiltrated to cause the vi-
olence, started most of the clashes. [97] At the end of the
3.2.7 14 June
day, demonstrators left the area and organised a march
towards Plaça de Sant Jaume.
Thousands of people assembled in front of Barcelona’s
Parc de la Ciutadella and organized themselves to spend
the night, in order to start a blockade of the Catalan Par- 3.2.9 19 June
liament (which is inside the park) on the following day
and prevent deputies from entering the building, where
the debate on the 2011 budget, which would result in cuts
in education and health, was to take place. [92]
3.2.8
15 June
Clashes between protesters and Mossos d'Esquadra oc-
curred in the early hours of the morning when hundreds
of protesters gathered in front of the police cordon, while
officers fired plastic bullets in order to disperse a group of
protesters who had set up barricades using rubbish con-
tainers. Hours later, scuffles broke out as Mossos de Es-
quadra pushed protesters back so the deputies who ar-
rived on foot could pass through. Some deputies, such
The starting point of the demonstration on 19 June 2011, in
Córdoba, which 8,000 people attended
A massive demonstration was carried out in almost 80
Spanish cities and towns. It is believed that more than
three million people rallied that day.