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 The
demonstrations on the 25 were outstanding and a clear success. The
police restrained from using their shiny, black toys (pressure from
above for the tourist who was shot the day before) and a march from
the university to the stockmarket exchange and then to the detention
centre where the arrested people were held, took place without any
bothersome interruptions. All previously held protesters have been
released, charges against them remain however. Media coverage concerning
the entire event has been quite two-sided (the Spanish media that
is), as footage was released that proved beyond doubt that agent
provocateurs were in the crowd agitating and escalating the situation.
In my opinion, the 25th can be held in memory as a symbolic victory
in being able to retake public spaces and use them
purposefully without the authorities dictating the terms. Great
stuff, Genoa will be great.
Monday (late):
Tired but fairly satisfied. After last report we found march and
it had gone right through Barcelona, apparently getting a very positive
reception, there are inevitable problems for a system which can
only maintain its authority by shooting at everyone that opposes
it. We ended up outside (what we think are) the courts and a few
hundred people surrounded it, there were still many riot police
present but despite this grafiti was sprayed all around the court
proclaiming No World Bank, Police Rob Banks, Freedom for the Arrested,
and, perhaps most importantly, another world is possible. Banners
were hung stating the police are fascists and the filth stood by
these banners quite proudly. We spent some time taunting them, observing
there resemblance to the Village People. They really are a bunch
of cocks. One day we will kick the fuckers until they are sick.
We left the area and prepared ourselves for more autonomous actions
which are expected to go throughout the night. Another world is
possible. At 5pm last night that was hard to believe but now we
can see it bright and clear. Our possibilities have never been more
apprent.
We were left in a desperate situation yesterday and doubtless there
will be many questions of the plan but those on the streets have
done well and will continue fighting, it´s not over yet and
the night should be fun. There is a protest against police brutality
planned for Sunday. For revolution ,
Monday
lunchtime report:
Ended up following samba band for protest outside jail. Very tense
as there were shitloads of polis vans in front of and behind us,
but a few hundred jumped down into the metro and boarded a train.
Very good moment as the metro station was totally filled with demonstrators.
We got to the jail and although there was a strong police presence
there were no arrests. Perhaps 1500 people enjoyed wine and dinner
outside the prison which was good. Couldn´t get home so crashed
back in town. Got to Universitat before 9, bu 9.30 there was still
only about 100 people and then they went into the convergence center.
It looked like taht was it and the police tactics of the previous
day had worked. There was a long meeting that got bigger and bigger.
Lots of liberal shite about making press conference regarding police
violence etc. There is a video that shows the police using agent
provocateurs and this is to be released to the media at 5pm. Loads
of press around meeting but were not allowed in (that´s a
start). It was agreed that there would be an action next sunday
against the police violence. Eventually what we are going to do
today was discussed. This meeting was dominated by a couple of liberal
wankers who liked the sound of their own voices too much. Eventually
agreed we would try to do an action in front of the stock exchange
as had originally been planned. Then all the white overalls crowd
started producing there padding, there was about 100 of them. Soon
we had about two thousand outside and this time we were ready for
confrontation. This seemed to have arisen and there was a standoff
when we were very near the exchange however, we were able to surround
it and there was much dancing celebrating etc. At this point I broke
off with a small group and some distance from this event we done
a little artwork and flung bins behind us to escape the area. Returning
to the protest and people were dancing in the fountains spraying
water everywhere. Today has been good effort given yesterdays events.
Now met up with the others and probably going to get some scran.
All fine though
my feet hurt like fuck.
Sunday:
21.04
The word going round is that the party tonight will not be attacked
by the police because they shot a tourist with a rubber bullet during
the afternoon and are not to fire in Placa Catalunya. 16 people
still in jail (apparently) but there have been many injuries. During
the afternoon the police attacked every mobile movement of people,
the only way we could resist them was for people to get very close
to police lines to stop them from using their rubber bullet guns.
We were quite disheartened because everything quietened down and
it looked like it was going to be impossible for us to regroup but
now there is a big gathering in Placa Catulunya and there is a sounds
system plus samba band and a few thousands people (activists and
randoms) listening to music etc. There was a mass meeting and vote
to decide if we should go to the jail in solidarity with the arrested
but we decided to stay put. So that seems to be it for tonight.
Guess tomorow will be rough as fuck because there will not be very
many people out and the police will be brutal as fuck. Today, we
are told, was the pacifist event. During said event Burger king
lost its signs and all its windows, many shops on one side of the
road were smashed and banks locks were glued and windows covered
in Grafiti. We spent a lot of the afternoon in bars chatting to
various people and are now going for some grub. At one point the
police came under fire from bottles but responded by shooting fuck
out of everyone.
The day has been charcterised by skirmishes and extreme force from
the police. Quite a few people have decided they have had enough
and have called it a day I think. It is very good that we have been
able to regroup etc, given police tactics. When we were able to
push lines back and the police on other side of square were attacked
with bottles was empowering
17.30
some 40 people arrested and injured by the police. Today´s
demonstration involved something around 50.000 people (this is a
number I have heard from numerous sources including a traffic warden).
There was a march down the Passeig de Gracia, one of the principal
avenues that lead into the city´s centre, Plaça de
Catalunya. The sheer diversity of organisations, collectives and
unions that participated in the march was impressive (over 500).
Banners of all colours and sizes, thousands of bohemian costumes
and of course music from all corners of the march made the event
extremely enjoyable and exiting At the end of the march there was
a large congregation in Plaça de Catalunya with dancing,
some speeches and some juggling acts. Amazingly, no one seemed to
have been too annoyed by our presence until then. Police, as far
as I could see, kept a respectful distance, although there was a
protective line of the
bastards in front of the stockmarket. Around 14:00 - 14:15 events
became fuzzy. There was a sudden volley of gunfire (rubber bullets
apparently) from one side of the Plaça de Catalunya and people
ran over to the other side. Warnings by some of the people on the
speaker platform said that people were being arrested and shot,
and that leaving the place was recommended. Soon afterwards police
began to swarm en masse into Plaça de Catalunya and there
was a general melee with crowds and individuals racing to escape
the  police´s
clutches. Apparently it all started when they grabbed a masked youth,
shoving him into a nearby police van. This set off a minor scuffle
between demonstrators and cops, which was quickly resolved by the
use of rubber bullets. A force of some hundred demonstrators remained
near Plaça de Catalunya, trying to make a second stand against
the police. Chants like "
Policia assesino (Police are assassins)" or " Si disparais,
sois nada (if you shoot, you´re nothing)made occasion quite
pleasant and memorable. At some point though the police made asecond
attack. The bastard went for simply everyone, regardless of the
fact that there were a lot of tourists and other people that didn´t
have anything to do with the demonstration present. Batons and truncheons
were favoured tools of choice to deal with the demonstrators. I
hung around for a bit after that, dodging those bastards in the
labyrintine maze of narrow roads, one way streets and what have
you. Last I heard and saw, the police are still pursuing demonstrators
all over the place. More later
15.40
March very big, we walked alongside it looking at all the different
groups and ending up reasonably near the front. When we arrived
in the square, we stood about for a bit and then as others were
still filing into the square, we set off for lunch awaiting the
next action. Meanwhile, unknown to us, people towards the tail of
the march (which was many tens of thousands)totally fucking wrecked
many of the banks. Anyway, then people are gathered in the square
(where we were to spend much time doing different actions, agent
provocateurs started trouble (a popular tactic of the Spanish police)
and very quickly the police have turned the place into the fucking
wild bunch. So we are sitting in a bar a few minutes from the square
and all of a sudden there are hundreds of people running past us,
police vans racing everywhere. We stayed in the bar until the situation
had stabilised then joined one of many groups confronting lines
of riot police. Police are using very many rubber bullets and baton
charges. People were getting close to lines so that police cannot
use guns and we were repeatedly pushing them back amid cheers and
celebrations. Soon more riot police arrive and again crowds is chased
away. Just now we are taking a bit to recover and are hoping to
get
back involved as soon as people can regroup. We went to attend the
anarchist demonstration but it was attacked and dispersed before
we even got there (before its scheduled starting time. Apparently
the fighting here was very fierce. Just now people are meeting to
decide what to do next there are many people in hospital and we
are wondering what to do. You know I don´t think there is
any point in complaining about police violence etc, but the way
this has been policed is unlike anything I´ve ever seen. The
tactics used are very alien to someone from the UK and it is very
difficult for us to know what to do. We are permenantly crapping
our pants, but I´m hoping to get back involved soon. There
are many people walking about with injuries and there is a constant
sound of rubber bullets being fired. I have just heard that while
I´m writing this, a big anarchist gathering has been fired
on and they have run back
towards placa catalunya, it appears the police may be starting to
try and arrest people. Anyway, suppose I´d better finish up
and go and get shot at. We are all fine if a little shook up for
a bit. . You can edit the report and spread about if you have the
time. People here have shown some bravery but it is very difficult.
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