Hundreds of thousands of protesters filled the streets of Madrid on March 22 as several Marches for Dignity converged in the Spanish capitol city. The protest drew people from all parts of Spain, united in their rejection of harsh austerity measures, high unemployment, increased homelessness and severe cuts to social programs. The marchers, some of whom had traveled on foot for weeks, charge that ruling elites are destroying their country.
The protest brought together a broad range of working class groups, including trade unions, government workers and organizations supporting the many people who had lost homes in the economic crisis. It also united Spain’s diverse geographic regions and cultures.
A manifesto issued by the Marches for Dignity called for “Bread, work and shelter for all.” The manifesto gave a clear analysis of the underlying capitalist nature of the crisis threatening the working class, describing rulers who act as “representatives of big banks, employers and big business, of capitalism, under the order of the Troika (the European Commission, the Central European Bank, and the International Monetary Fund).”
The radical manifesto called for the right to safe, legal abortions and an end to discrimination against women and minorities. It demanded equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation.
Among the many banners was one calling for “Bread, jobs and housing for everyone.” Another indicted the country’s ruling class: “Corruption and robbery, Spain’s trademark.”
Harsh tax increases and cuts in government programs pushed through by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy since he took power in 2011 have severely impacted poor and working class people throughout the country. Almost 500,000 families have been evicted from their homes as a result of the ongoing crisis, which first drew international attention when the country’s real estate bubble imploded in 1998. Spain’s current unemployment rate of 26 percent has forced many to leave the country.
Rising working class militancy has been downplayed by the major corporate media, and this demonstration was no exception. There were few reports, and many of the news accounts claimed that “tens of thousands” participated. The Reuters news agency and a few other news sources noted that hundreds of thousands of people joined in the demonstration; photographs indicate the accuracy of that larger estimate.
