Spain's 'indignants' to retake the streets

AFP - A year after taking over Spain's streets and squares, sparking a global uprising against economic injustice, the "indignants" are plotting a comeback.

The activists, who once led hundreds of thousands into the streets, are launching a four-day protest May 12-15, ending on the anniversary of the movement's birth in Madrid's Puerta del Sol.

Saturday is billed as a day of global protest across Europe and the Americas, from Madrid, Paris, Athens and London to Rio de Janeiro and New York, home of Occupy Wall Street.

This time, Spaniards have more to protest: a recession, unemployment at 24.4 percent, and 52 percent for the young, and more than 30 billion euros ($39 billion) in austerity measures so far this year.

But Spain's "indignants" are deeply divided over their internal organisation, and struggling for a role as unions take centre stage mobilising huge, near weekly protests.

They also face Madrid authorities determined to stop a repeat of last year's month-long sprawling encampment in Puerta del Sol: a fond memory for the movement's supporters, but an ugly blight for its opponents.

http://www.france24.com/en/20120510-spains-indignants-retake-streets