Ana Iris Simón, 18 November 2023
Rally against Amnesty, this Wednesday in Madrid’s Calle Ferraz, next to the PSOE headquarters.BORJA SANCHEZ-TRILLO (EFE)
We are still outraged
When the ‘indignados’ of 15-M took to the streets, Spain was governed by Zapatero’s PSOE. Since then they have domesticated us so much that they try to make us believe that protesting against Sánchez’s PSOE (in this case, against his shameful agreement with Puigdemont’s Junts) is something typical of the extreme right.
But while it is true that PP and Vox oppose the agreement and the amnesty bill, it is no less true that public figures from parties such as the PSOE and trade unions such as the UGT have shown their disagreement. In addition, progressive groups ranging from the legal to the fiscal sphere have protested. For example, the Union of Labour and Social Security Inspectors, which speaks of a path that “leads us irremediably to the rupture of solidarity, of the equality of all Spaniards in terms of benefits and of the principle of the unity of the Social Security fund”.
Many of us are still as outraged as we were in 2011, because once again they are making it clear to us that “those at the top” can be corrupt, embezzle everyone’s money and violate public order and everything will be forgiven by their partners in the political caste, while “those at the bottom” will not be forgiven even a fine, a tax or a month’s rent.
We are still outraged because we are still merchandise in the hands of politicians and bankers, except that a decade ago many bankers were from the PP and hid behind the red and white flag to ask for “tax amnesty”, while now there are those who hide behind the Estelada to make us believe that the progressive thing to do is to support the cause of the pro-independence oligarchy that beat up the 15-M indignados in Barcelona. Some of us were opposed then to the PP pardoning 40 billion to the financial sector in dubious concept of “bailout”, and with the same spirit we are opposed now to the PSOE giving in to Puigdemont, who is asking for 450 billion in dubious concept of “historical debt”.
We remain indignant because they still want to bend us with their lies of “the left and the right”, but in an increasingly delirious way: now they tell us that Junts, who are more neoliberal than Ayuso’s seditious Madrid and have European partners who make Vox look moderate, have joined the “progressive bloc”.
We are still outraged because they call it democracy and it is still not democracy: it is a regime of parties that now has more than two, unlike in 2011, but continues to defraud the will of the people. We were told that no favourable treatment for corrupt people would be negotiated before the elections, but now we are not only told that it will be closed, but that it is for the good of democracy.
Some of those who used to chant “PSOE, PP, it’s the same shit” have joined this partitocracy, so their rebellion has changed sides, and now they do the same as the caste did against 15-M: they label any protest as “anti-system”, they take the part for the whole, treating everyone as “cayetanos” or fascists as they were once treated as “perroflautas” or violent ultra-leftists; they praise the police forcefulness. They do not represent us. Some of us are still outraged. There is still no bread for so much sausage.
https://elpais.com/opinion/2023-11-18/seguimos-indignados.html
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