SOLution Square -- Major Protest?

My favourite spot in SOL. A vegetable garden planted around the fountain. Will authorities dig it up and put back the "pretty flowers" when all is done?

Dear Citizens of the World!

Greetings from Madrid, the center of major "anti-status-quo" protests, making headlines on CNN and around the world. Media has compared the protest camp in Puerta del Sol to Tahrir square in Cairo and the Arab Spring movement.

The protesters use a play on words to rename Spain's most famous Square "Solution Square" instead of SOL which means sun.

The protests that got lots of attention in national and international press are there, but not that big of a deal. There are more turists taking pictures than actual campers and the surrounding shopping streets are actually more packed than the plaza.

It is important to note that there is no violence, everyone is working well togther to avoid problems and to not damage anything.

Volunteers are handing out sun-cream, water and food, directing traffic to reduce the impact and the kiosks are open for business as always.

However, on this sunny "day of reflection", just before the elections, it is much harder to get a table for lunch at one of the terraces than to move around the always-busy Puerta del Sol, eg SOLution Square.

Being only 15 minutes away, I decided to go down and have a look for myself. Some pictures and my impressions:



Will the revolution last? Will there be any changes to how things are done? Stay tuned.

- The United Statesian

Comments

  1. Unknown5:35 PM

    Are there still people squatting in the square or have they disbanded now?

    ReplyDelete
  2. D. Troy Roach7:06 PM

    Yep, they are still there.
    When the socialists are in power in Europe during a financial crisis, there is another "crisis" that forms. The left-of-the-left don't want to complain by voting for the conservative party...thus they need to find another outlet.
    Their concerns are not new (mainly that "all politicians are corupt and serve big business so that a few can get rich").
    I think this movement might catch on this time because it is a problem that does not have borders and they feel enboldened by the fact that many big-wigs are falling. eg Dictators in North Africa and DSK from the IMF.

    ReplyDelete

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