| postauthoriconBy Ed Newman | PDF | Print | E-mail alt Madrid, May 18 (RHC)-- Thousands of young people took over the Puerta del Sol square in downtown Madrid on Wednesday, following a rally Tuesday night to call for political and social change in Spain. The centrally-located square in Madrid has become the epicenter of protests, just days before municipal and autonomy elections are slated to take place on Sunday, the 22nd. Protesters say they intend to occupy the square, which is being watched by a large number of police and security forces, until Election Day. The anti-government protests in Spain have become known as the "Movimiento 15-M" -- or the "May 15th Movement" -- and are calling for "real democracy" and improved living standards, which have been negatively affected by the ongoing economic crisis. Demonstrators are also demanding jobs, housing and a reform of the electoral law. There were demonstrations across Spain on Tuesday night, although smaller in number than the thousands that gathered in Madrid. Protesters took to the streets of Barcelona, Sevilla, Valencia y Bilbao. In Granada, protesters set up camp in the Plaza del Carmen, but the demonstration was broken up by security forces. In Madrid, area residents took food and blankets to Puerta del Sol as demonstrators pulled out sleeping bags and set up their protest camp for the next several days. Organized on university campuses in Spain, primarily through social networks and text messages by youth collectives called "Real Democracy Now," the movement has been joined by unemployed and retired workers, as well as those who live in precarious conditions. |