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helicopters, gunshots, riot vans screaming, armed cavalcade blocked and turned away... M15 > J15

category international | anti-capitalism | news report author Wednesday June 15, 2011 10:03author by #SpanishRevolution

#SpanishRevolution M15 > a month on

helicopters, gunshots, lines of riot vans screaming around, police cordoned hi speed car cavalcade blocked in streets and turned away by protestors, old guys in the streets giving that sideways hand shake... A month into the #SpanishRevolution and things are really heating up.
acampadaBCN: take the square > take the parliament
acampadaBCN: take the square > take the parliament

The park is blocked, many riot vans built a tunnel way of sorts to attempt to get the ministers into the parliament, there had been shots with rubber bullets since 7am and a bit of cop striking out. Thousands of people were booing, hissing, jeering the politicians as they entered. More people were arriving, blocking the outer ends of the police line... It was becoming UNGOVERNABLE for the police. At around 9.30 a hi speed police protected cavalcade flew down avenue meridinia to reach the back of the police line, people saw the lights and ran towards the oncoming politicians (the more important ones, maybe the president Arthur Mas?) the crowds jumped infront of the cavalcade and stopped it, more people ran to support, the car tried to go down the wrong way, but was blocked again, it flew down a sidestreet. Many undercovers were running in this crowd taking out objects from their hips. The cavalcade turned and sped away, as quickly as it had entered; defeated, a win for the peaceful act of civil disobedianace by the INDIGNADOS. About an hour later, we saw the first helicpoter flying over, a firemen special yellow helicopter, flying low and going into the still shut down public park that houses the parliament. (ironically this park was built to house the fort of repression built after the year long siege of Barcelona in 1714, and only turned into a public space for the 1888 World fair, the irony is not lost on the Catalans, they too know their history) More and more have flown in, what is the cost of such an operation? Is it sustainable? will the public not surely say "theres something really fucked up here, the INDIGNADOS have a point". Even the press group, all with their orange arm bands, were herded into a special section, to leave way for movement of politicians and armed police.

Old guys in the streets giving that sideways hand shake, means, more or less, "fucking hell, things are heavy in the streets".

A month into the M15 (may 15) revolution and things have taken a big step here in Barcelona, if it grows it will be ungovernable, unmabageable. And chances are that is exactly how it will turn out.

Live stream: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tots-som-pla%C3%A7a-catalunya
Catalan Tv live: http://www.tv3.cat/3alacarta/#/directes/TV3
acampadaBCN updates: http://acampadadebarcelona.org/aturemelparlament/

Previous articles #SpanishRevolution:

Tahrir comes to Spain
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/99816

Tahrir > Spain > World
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/99859

Real Democracy Now! Dublin - June19 against € Pact - Peaceful Demonstration ( #SpanishRevolution > #IrishRevolution)
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/99992

latest vid from last night: 14/15-06-2011 Parlament de Barcelona
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_k5FMqw5G4

BARCELONA REVOLUTION (what we fight for and against, top vid after M27 day of violence)
(This is translated, click the CC buton to read - HD] (ENG) (FR) (IT)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpK6w5UjzJc

Mainstream reports on this mornings goings on:
Artur Mas y Núria de Gispert llegan al Parlament en helicóptero
http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/sociedad/seis-he...43246

Artur Mas y Núria de Gispert acceden al Parlament en helicóptero
http://www.lavanguardia.com/politica/20110615/541700877....html

Los parlamentarios catalanes logran acceder al Parlament entre pintadas, empujones y abucheos (with vid)
http://www.lavanguardia.com/politica/20110615/541709030....html

Mas y otros consejeros llegan al Parlament en helicóptero para evitar a los indignados
http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/06/14/actualid....html

1000's occupied the areas around the park to block parliament from meeting today
1000's occupied the areas around the park to block parliament from meeting today

riot cops firing rubber bullets at 7am this morning in Barcelona
riot cops firing rubber bullets at 7am this morning in Barcelona

No Passaran - They will not pass. The people of Barcelona have had enough
No Passaran - They will not pass. The people of Barcelona have had enough

Streets blocked by Barcelonas indignation, the politicians have to be flown in to make cuts... Remember Argentina???
Streets blocked by Barcelonas indignation, the politicians have to be flown in to make cuts... Remember Argentina???

Caption: Video Id: LpK6w5UjzJc Type: Youtube Video
BARCELONA REVOLUTION (what we fight for and against, top vid after M27 day of violence)


Caption: Video Id: 7_k5FMqw5G4 Type: Youtube Video
Parlament de Barcelona: blocked by indignation


Comments (12 of 12)

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author by #spanishrevolutionpublication date Wed Jun 15, 2011 11:52author address author phone

follow TWEETs #parlamentcamp http://tinyurl.com/6e8m92y @Aturemparlament http://tinyurl.com/6el9237

author by iosaf .:.publication date Wed Jun 15, 2011 14:37author address author phone

At the moment the twitter trend "with the parliament" is doing better than the "stop the parliament" (o as if things were so easy).
Today marked a departure. In both Greece and Catalunya. I remind everyone that the budget vote in Barcelona will be followed by a budget vote in Madrid before the week is out. Today has marked a departure. All the political parties with representation afforded by the Spanish state's system of party lists, party political law, grants & funding, allocation of media time and community weight - have united. I wondered at a picture of the relatively new secretary general of the IU (post marxist far left) remonstrating in Madrid with an indignant. I paused for much thought as I heard the helicopters going over my house to land down the road less than a kilometre away at the Catalan parliament and deliver the ruling class for whom nearly half the electorate and over half the population did not vote, nor did they even vote for the now obviously loyal opposition , those who a month ago sought to speak for the poor, oppressed and marginalised.

So they tell us that today a red line has been crossed : that an imperfect democracy is to be preferred to the chaos brought by a thousand indignant activists to the seat of regional liberal democracy in Catalonia -http://www.vilaweb.cat/noticia/3898591/20110615/condemn....html
Oh yes for in their cross party words : they were elected by 3.2 million people..........59.5% of the "legibible electorate" in a land, region, country or statelet which counts many more who work and live but don't get a vote & so are more representative than the few thousand who stood up to them this morning.......http://www.publico.es/espana/382101/el-gobierno-avisa-a...sonas...................... that in the words of the spokesperson of the PSC (labour equivalent) who lost control of the government in the last elections - the work of the Catalan parliament has only been impeded on two occasions..........
#"fets de Maig"
#Franco.

I doubt I need explain Franco.................. but I have felt moved to write my thoughts to that spokesperson upon the "fets de Maig". Between the 4th and 7th of May 1937, the Catalan parliament and generalitat declared the Catalan Republic as a constituent component of the 2nd Spanish republic which had been declared on the 14th of May 1934.

YEp........in their words.................... we're talking anarchists versus socialists and communists yet again......................what a thought...................¿¿¿ how did the indignant go so quickly from being pacifist victims of police brutality and the global financial meltdown past being angry to now being the greatest threat to that great conundrum : flawed Hispanic liberal democracy


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona_May_Day

..............so what happens now that the red line has been crossed?

Well the Katalalander President, Artur Mas has warned that in the next hours there may well be a use of "appropriate force"
http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/06/14/actualid....html

I think he's talking about the berserk bloodlust plod thing
I hear a the word martyrdom on the wind.

we've cross the red line...............bloodlust comes next.
we've cross the red line...............bloodlust comes next.

author by News watcherpublication date Wed Jun 15, 2011 14:52author address author phone

There appears to be a news blockage about Barcelona for there are no reports of this on rte or any of the newspapers other than the bbc where the number of demonstrators is minimalised as 2,000 whereas there were 100,000 +

Is this what we can now expect as freedom of speech etc from the EU ?

author by iosafpublication date Wed Jun 15, 2011 16:09author address author phone

The Catalan parliament is situated in the Cuitadella Park. The Park was originally laid out for the garrison which enforced the Bourbon King's rule & so it's ironic that one of the buildings sitting next to today's zoo is in fact the Catalan parlliament. The park has several entrances and exits (excluding space to land helicopters and gravel path which I reckon would provide landing ground for micro-light planes, drones or paratroopers. All those gates are barricaded from the outside with crash barriers and urban debris and each one is also padlocked from within by the joint police force deployment of Barcelona and Catalonia. The police have placed a cordon varying from 300 metres to 800 metres around the park and the tram service has been suspended for its last (or first stop). The zoo is closed and those homeless people who nightly doss down in the park and are found next to the geological museum (also located in the park) are now sleeping on benches or looking forlorn next to the supermarket trollies in a 200 metre radius.
There are presently about 300 indignant protesters at the railings. Most are concentrated around the "Wellington/Pujades" exit. But the furthest cordon has been placed at the main entrance on Av Argentina which of course would (& will) provide the quickest deployment of riot cops later on. Of course there are oodles of riot cops in the park. And they're all looking out and biding their time. The people on the grass verge outside are mostly relaxed and trying to sleep. I've spoken to a few of the awake ones. They turned out to be from other cities in Catalunya; Girona, Vic, Lleida etc. So they've travelled quite a bit for today's "events".

Those events haven't finished yet by a long shot either. At this exact moment Albert Rovira the leader of the "Cuitadans" group in the parlament is speaking on parlament tv (http://www.parlament.cat/web/actualitat/canal-parlament...cp0=1 ) he leadsa group of spanish state unionists who champion castilian speakers rights(???) (yep - he's a cryptofascist). Anyway - he's blathering away in Catalan which is unusual for him. I detect a siege mentality within the park. All the statements made from the full range of political parties have condemned the protest and it is clear the idignants have now crossed the line into anarchists . So even if the street furniture is painted pink and that anonymous "V" from the movie "V for Vendetta" is all over the place............. the establishment and ruling class are going to leave the vote today with their gloves off. I fear blood and heavy prison sentencing.

But I know it's not going to stop here.

author by #SpanishRevolutionpublication date Wed Jun 15, 2011 17:50author address author phone

Great photos, http://www.naciodigital.cat/galeria/911 - via this TWEET @ http://tinyurl.com/5rv6kbq

2nd vid set: 15J Aturem el Parlament
http://www.flickr.com/photos/perunforat/sets/7215762684...6189/

Closed for demolition of social rights. Sorry for the inconveniance
Closed for demolition of social rights. Sorry for the inconveniance

Parc Ciutadella gate barracaded
Parc Ciutadella gate barracaded

indignadas stand their ground using non violence
indignadas stand their ground using non violence

Mossos do what they do best (remember M27)
Mossos do what they do best (remember M27)

blood on the streets of Barcelona, early J15
blood on the streets of Barcelona, early J15

author by iosaf .:. ipsiphipublication date Wed Jun 15, 2011 23:28author address author phone

So as the grand old duke of york would say - when you're half way up you're neither up nor down..,

Since my last posting the establishment political parties, civil service & media closed ranks. Unsurprisingly, for they all know someone who was in either the park or the parliament today if indeed they weren't one of those ones who got into the budget cuts debate aboard a helicopter or in a riot van. & I acknowledge not really very surprisingly if they had the . gall to think that they could walk up to the gates and enter on foot as elected representatives of the oppressed and marginalised : be that the constituency who want immediate independence from the Spanish state or that constituency who want sharpish seizure of the means of production and the creation of a workers' republic .

Yep............................ It was all very human.
"us"..............&..............."them".

After the brutal attempted eviction of the "indignant" camp on Catalonia square in Barcelona of May 27th, a huge swathe of the public and the chattering classes sided with the pacifist mostly young folk & were chuffed to see the emergence of spokespeople ( you know like the kind of people you can think of as leaders of a revolution who has no leaders )

Well.................... I pity & did pity those poor folk who stepped up to the plate after the brutality of May27th and negotiated with plod during the events of the riot which took place when Barca football team won the championship league & thought they could engage like proper grown ups articulating an emerging movement's intentions & wishes with the ruling class . c/f http://www.indymedia.ie/article/99883?search_text=barce...80980

anyway...................plucky young & articulate, good looking & relatively well connected Mr Raul Navarro has read a declaration which distances us all from the ruckery.......................not for us marching halfway up hills........................never for us the berserk bloodlust...........................

The Indignants of Barcelona have now assured that they are in the news tomorrow & that their peers in Madrid will face utter shite..... & they have shown that they really are...........just as they always really were...................emergent.............& a mixture of indignant & angry.

hmmmmmm...., less blood was shed today then could have been. Points were made on all sides. Those who would have thought to manipulate the movement by thinking that they could speak within parliament or congress for it.......... have now learnt that they are despised as the rightwing who rule us................ & a great big bunch moved off site and revindicated pacifism whilst another wee bunch sat it out and went toe to toe with plod................

there's less anomynity all round these days too.

but don't featurise that.
.................yet.............

_______________________________________________-

http://www.kaosenlared.net/noticia/barcelona-acampada-p...5-jun

Indignants sit in at the Copshop holding centre awaiting the release of detainees after assuring the world "it wasn't us".
Indignants sit in at the Copshop holding centre awaiting the release of detainees after assuring the world "it wasn't us".

Related Link: http://www.kaosenlared.net/noticia/barcelona-acampada-parc-ciutadella-14-juny-19h-aturem-parlament-15-jun
author by #SpanishRevolutionpublication date Thu Jun 16, 2011 08:20author address author phone

Los "indignados" bloquean el Parlamento catalán en rechazo a los recortes sociales (libre red - free network)
The "indignados" block the Catalan Parliament and reject the social cuts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NDKzuyukQo

Miles de indignados se concentran en Barcelona (euro press)
1000s of INDIGNADOS demonstrate in Barcelona
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ8OlaWzX7I

La policía actúa contra los indignados del Parlamento catalán (LDTV - liberdad digital TV - digital freedom TV)
The police take action against the Indignados at the Catalan Parliament
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JwIRZT7tgs

QUI SÓN ELS VIOLENTS? Who are the violent ones?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcmvzRvsf8g

Caption: Video Id: 8NDKzuyukQo Type: Youtube Video
The "indignados" block the Catalan Parliament and reject the social cuts


Caption: Video Id: NZ8OlaWzX7I Type: Youtube Video
1000s of INDIGNADOS demonstrate in Barcelona


author by PEACEFUL INDIGNADOpublication date Fri Jun 17, 2011 20:36author address author phone

Guardian Journalist Paul Lewis has tweeted ( http://tinyurl.com/6f4splr ) the following a few hours ago:

Are police agent provocatuers being used to stoke the flames at Spanish protests? bit.ly/jEuriX


Yesterday, news spread very quickly in internet world that all the "violence" that happened at Parc Ciutadella looks like it was started by the police themselves, disguised as "agent provocatuers". A video was doing the rounds, then mysteriously it went "private", it seems police pressure was used. BUT, the net being what it is, meant that "that vid" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nrR5m0xsVM ) is doing the rounds again and appearing everywhere, still slowly, but its getting there, more and more and more. With it and its related "evidence page" ( http://www.planetatortuga.com/noticias.item.3875/los-vi....html ) being now picked up by the Guardian journalist, perhaps the levels of indignation might even rise further when the Catalan public see what "their" government / media / police are upto; a dirty malicious and thoroughly sly attempt to dirty the good name of the INDIGNADOS or the M-15 movement, who ARE STILL A PEACEFUL MOVEMENT.

Oh and did I mention the "lamentable error" by TELEMADRID? No? Its ok now because they have "apologised" for putting up ultra violent images from riots in Greece when talking about the goings on in barcelona... (see links below)

Bollox, this is more of the set up we are seeing here to sway catalan opinion away from supporting the INDIGNADOS.

A press statement was read out from the movement in regard to the violence, which denounced the violence and declared that this is a PEACEFUL MOVEMENT, at end is a rough translation of what was read out.

Links:

J15-Catalan police used agent provocateurs in attempt to destroy M15 peaceful revolutionary movement
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/100013

quienes son los violentos ? Subt castellano de xartigas (That video, well another copied version of it, stuck on some server somewhere)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nrR5m0xsVM

Telemadrids "lamentable error"
Telemadrid y el 15M vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibir-3Y9ALQ
Telemadrid: "La violencia en Grecia fue similar a la de Barcelona": http://www.publico.es/televisionygente/382540/telemadri...elona

Roda de Premsa d’AcampadaBCN del 17/06/2011
http://acampadabcn.wordpress.com/2011/06/17/roda-de-pre...2010/

VID: Comunicado Indignados hechos Parlament Catalunya
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O75i04RNIP8


(TRANSLATION)

First we want to apologize to all media in the call for change in this press conference. Given the statements of Minister of Interior and the Prime Minister which include angry accusations against Barcelona and the movement itself and because we work with democratic methods and assembly, in a move that is wide and varied, we been forced to postpone the announcement.

As everyone knows, we reject violence. As for events that do not fit the consensus of the movement occurred on the 15th, we are not represented by these shares and therefore we are not responsible for them. If you believe that politicians do not represent the isolated acts of these people may not represent the entire group. It would be justice for the thousands of people mobilized or not they feel identified with common values ​​that we have been demonstrating together.

The objective of the mobilization by 14 and 15, supported by the 22 assembly districts of Barcelona and Catalonia over a hundred villages, was arrested by anti-social budget cuts for 2011 of the Government of Catalonia and denounced the decree known as Omnibus in law.

We have been accused of attacking democracy, when the cuts are an attack on the same show, with Parliament at the service of financial markets and reducing social services for all citizens, when no party with parliamentary representation, these measures included his electoral program. So in order to have political legitimacy should be adopted by referendum.

In addition, the activity of the Parliament undermines itself when it seeks to endorse the discussion of the so-called Omnibus Act: an affront to democratic values ​​posed by Decree approving the amendment of 610 points on more than 80 previous laws and diverse the legitimacy of which is doubtful because even within the parameters of the current democracy.

We are convinced that all the debate generated around the events of June 15, are oversized in order to divert attention from what really affects people. A social movement with broad support from the public is suffering an apparent attempt to be stigmatized by a political strategy that aims to legitimize new forms of police repression against a citizen group that has shown to be strongly peaceful. So as not to criminalize all the fans when there are incidents in a sporting event, or the entire political class against corruption, the fact that in this case apply a different criterion, shows the falsity of this argument.

Also surprising the unusual union of all the parties and the seriousness of his accusations before the facts of 15j. The incidents, theoretically caused by protesters, who did not cause any injuries among the members and workers, in contrast with the zero criticism of the police action that caused dozens of injuries.

The stained shirts of a few politicians seem to weigh more than 40 injured, who joined the 147 injured, 27 May. What really scares politicians is that they are opening up new methods of participation and decision, that call into question the legitimacy of the current democratic system. This explains the desperate attempt of criminalization of the movement, made desproporcionalitat deployment strategy and ineffective policing.

We can not take responsibility for violent behavior promoted by the precarious economic and social injustice that leaves work and cover thousands of families. Only liability for those who have joined the peace movement, creative, constructive and inclusive.

As the economy deteriorates further and the welfare state theory, the more anger is generated. We can not be responsible, now or in the future of those who have joined the spirit inspired by the peaceful movement for 15 million, just from the people is promoted in a way to channel this discontent constructive and nonviolent. An example of this is that despite the threatening statements by the President, the Assembly decided not to hinder the departure of parliament in protest and moved to St. James's Square by a peaceful sitting and singing the stake.

We are accused of violence when the state who paid for all institutions use to advocating violence and announce that the use against us, even when dealing with a peaceful movement. When you say they have a monopoly of violence that we are saying is that they are the ones who decide what is violence and what is not.

That the evictions affect families already 270.00 and banks accumulate empty flats is violence. It prolonged the working life and higher incomes pay less is more violence. That the company distributed profits and fired good employees is violence. Military spending is violence. The cuts in health and education are violent. The list is endless.

The errors of the device conducted by the Ministry of Interior seem intentional, because they allowed Felip Puig get the desired picture that tries to endorse the violent actions of 27m. Not understand why they chose to use an entry with the highest concentration of demonstrators to the parliament reached on foot, instead of the entrance to the zoo with the police vans, and ended up happening.

Finally we call a rally today, Friday 17 to 4 pm in the City Judiciary in protest and support to fellow detainees that justice will at 5 pm. It also reported that yesterday the police of Parliament were detained and identified people who are in solidarity with the detainees. Again the police were not identified and refused to do so at the request of a lawyer.

This is only the beginning, we know that there is much to do. We walk and work for the construction of more just and habitable worlds where all fit.

Our next action is the mobilization of June 19, an international event that has been supported by hundreds of cities around the world and in the case of Barcelona have the support of more than 100 villages and 22 districts of the city. On the 19th call on society to take to the streets to show our outrage at the many injustices and repeated violation of our most basic rights to which we are submitting the current political and economic system. The street is ours, not pay their crisis.

Who are the Violent ones (from "that vid): "protesters" standing in doorways, later get police escort away from the heat
Who are the Violent ones (from "that vid): "protesters" standing in doorways, later get police escort away from the heat

Guardian Journo: Are police agent provocatuers being used to stoke the flames at Spanish protests?
Guardian Journo: Are police agent provocatuers being used to stoke the flames at Spanish protests?

AcampadaBCN press statement: WE ARE PEACEFUL AND STILL INDIGNANT
AcampadaBCN press statement: WE ARE PEACEFUL AND STILL INDIGNANT

Caption: Video Id: 3nrR5m0xsVM Type: Youtube Video
"that vid" Who are the violent ones???


Caption: Video Id: O75i04RNIP8 Type: Youtube Video
AcampadaBCN press statement: WE ARE PEACEFUL AND STILL INDIGNANT


author by Mechanic.publication date Sun Jun 19, 2011 09:09author address author phone

Bows amd arrows alway wins over sticks and stones.
Drones can win wars.

author by American.publication date Sun Jun 19, 2011 10:44author address author phone

Dromes could have taken Bin Laden out.
The Americand put REAL Americans in to kill Bin Laden.

author by JoeMcpublication date Sun Jun 19, 2011 12:27author address author phone

Thanks very much for keeping readers in Ireland updated on the situation in Spain.
In the likely event of similar upheavels occurring in this country, will Indymedia Ireland be in a position to report on them accurately?

author by opus diablos - the regressive hypocrite partypublication date Sun Jun 19, 2011 13:20author address author phone


Drones can win wars??

I look forward to seeing a gun or knife charged with homicide.

Suggest you check your logic board. You have a neural malfunction, Mechanic.

Excuse my spanner.


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