Fifty-seven Spanish cities and towns came to a stop on February 19. Up to 2 million people marched in protest against the new labour “reform” of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's Popular Party (PP) government.
The marches brought together veterans of the struggle for union and worker rights under the Franco dictatorship, activists from the 1970s “transition to democracy” and today’s indignados.
“Old” slogans (“If you don’t fight, you lose”) mixed with new (“They piss on us and say it’s raining”).
In Barcelona’s main avenue, the Passeig de Gracia, a march of up to 400,000 people took over two hours to move half a kilometre, such was the crush.
In Madrid, up to half a million people marched.
Some of the proportionally biggest marches were in regional centres, where cuts have hit public services hardest or where town councils are effectively broke.
An important sub-theme of the marches in Valencia and Catalunya was solidarity with the high school students of the Luis Vives High School. The students have been bashed and arrested by police for daring to protest against funding cuts to education.