Keyword: Spain

The Next Syriza? As Greece Rejects Austerity, Meet the Activist Who Could Become Spain's New Prime Minister

Picture: Pablo Iglesias courtesy Zoom News Video Spanish political party, Podemos, only became an official party last March, but a recent poll by El País found that 28% of the population supports it - enough to possibly win Spain’s next general election. Last May, Podemos surprised many by receiving 1.2 million votes and five seats in the European Parliament. The party grew out of the anti-austerity "indignados" movement that began occupying squares in Spain four years ago. Meet Podemos Secretary General, Pablo...

Spanish Police Crack Down on Protesters Surrounding Parliament

Picture: As seen on The Real News Network. Video Anti-austerity rage intensified in Madrid, as protesters surrounded the parliament Tuesday night in a sign of mounting frustration towards the right-wing government. Their demands included the resignation of top officials with new elections, the halt to austerity measures, and the rewriting of the Spanish Constitution. The protesters charged the government with theft and criminal activity for implementing harsh austerity measures, hiking taxes, record unemployment and allowing mass evictions...

Youth Unemployment: A Global Challenge

Picture: happensingreece.com Glenn Ashton - All over the world the youngest, historically most employable sector of society is struggling to find secure employment. In China an estimated one third of college graduates are unable to get work. In Spain and Greece unemployment amongst the youth has risen above 50%. In South Africa it is possibly higher than this, even amongst high school leavers. The elitist World Economic Forum termed the trend “a social and economic time bomb.” The impacts are exemplified by the Arab...

A Win for the Spanish Indignados: Spain Opens Criminal Probe of Ex-IMF Chief in Case Linked to Global Financial Crisis

Picture: cabiados.net Amy Goodman - In Madrid, Spain, protesters are celebrating a major victory after that country’s high court opened a criminal investigation into the former head of Spain’s biggest mortgage lender. Rodrigo Rato, the former head of the IMF, has been ordered to appear in court to face criminal fraud accusations related to the downfall of Bankia, a banking giant that has sought tens of billions of dollars in bailout money. The news marks a rare case where a former executive is facing a criminal...

How Financial Crisis, Economic Inequality, Social Media, and More Brought Revolutions in 2011

Picture: www.alternet.org Sarah Jaffe - Journalist Paul Mason covered the uprisings of 2011 as they occurred. His new book "Why It's Kicking Off Everywhere," explains why they all happened at once. We're at an inflection point in history, a shift not just in our politics but our consciousness, says Paul Mason, BBC Newsnight economics editor, author and journalist. From Madrid to Madison, Tahrir Square to Syntagma Square, London student occupations to Occupy Wall Street, Mason has covered the uprisings of 2011, and...

Spain's 'Indignados' and the Globalization of Dissent

Picture: Kasama Project Video Before Adbusters called on activists to Occupy Wall Street, thousands of Spaniards set up camp in Madrid’s iconic Puerta del Sol, and in public squares across the country. Now, as the occupy movement around the U.S. sets its sights on the longer term struggle for social and economic justice with movements like Take Back the Land and Occupy Our Homes, the Spanish experience has valuable lessons to offer what is now a globalized popular front. © The Real News Network.