People,
Yesterday we cleared the square of our own accord. On the one hand it was a very melancholic affair, and on the other hand it was yet another touching display of civilization. The people of Puerta del Sol have made a point of honour out of leaving the square cleaner than how they have found it when they started their acampada. And so you could see people scrubbing all day long. Pieces of paper and cardboard carrying slogans were removed, stickers have been scraped off, and everything – from the subway exits and the billboards to the pavement – has been polished to shine. The symbol of Madrid, the bear and the tree, has never been blinking like it did on the day that the Sol broke up.
All in all it was a victory celebration. People were tired but happy and satisfied, ready to continue the movement. The comrades of the Library had organised public readings of poetry, and the comrades of Love and Spirituality had turned the tent of the General Assembly into a cathedral for the ocassion. It was crowded with people in a spiral holding hands and listening to a mass of unity, with each other and with the earth.
In the afternoon there was an informative General Assembly where all working groups and Commissions explained what they have achieved and how they intend to go on. It was announced where they will settle and when they will meet. Communication will come to sit in a squat in the center.
At the end of the afternoon the people from all the neighbourhoods came to Sol. All over the square and the surrounding streets you could see them sitting in circles discussing, and by nightfall they all reported to the General Assembly. The space was too small for everyone to participate, despite the scorching heat.
So Sol has become a success, there´s no doubt about it. We have beaten roots and now it's time to grow. A recent poll shows that two thirds of the Spanish people bear sympathy for the indignados. Of course you shouldn't trust these figures, but rest assured that the bigwigs have taken notice of it!
At the end of the evening, when a cool breeze finally descends upon us, the square is packed with people. They stand silently with their arms up while the twelve strokes of midnight resound. Then the crowd explodes into overwhelming cheers. "We're not leaving, we're transferring ourselves to your consciousness" is the slogan hung up over the equestrian statue.
I come across the comrades of Communications. It´s like a hot bath. These people have been my family in recent weeks, and they still are. We met each other out here and we discovered that we have a common goal to which to which we can apply all of our abilities and enthusiasm.
The crowd starts moving. We walk along, clapping and singing through the streets and over the boulevards. We take the Gran Via, Madrid's central artery, we walk again to Cibeles to occupy the roundabout and then on to parliament. Neither tonight police will get a good night's rest. All roads to the Cortes are blocked by police officers. As always people address them with sungs of praise, invitating them to join. But all they seem to long for is their bed.
So do I. After three weeks my stuff comes out of the luggage depot of the acampada untouched. I moved it to a hostel. The coming days I plan to rest, to shower, to wash clothes and reorganise. I think I'll be staying in Madrid for at least another week, until after the big demonstration on June 19. Then I'd like to start travelling through the country, chasing the revolution in a tent. I'd like to report on how the movement is developing in the rest of Spain, and I'd like to continue to make my contribution disseminating ideas.
The sun rises over a brand new day. I still have not slept enough, but it will. On Sol there is the permanent information center left by the movement. It's a structure in the form of a half cylinder, eight meters long and three meters high, built of wooden pallets. The square is still ours, that's the message. And the authorities know very well that everyone will come back here with a vengeance if they dare to touch it.
Food II still stands, even if they are closed. There is a number of tents from unyielding campers around. The General Assembly has decided to find creative solutions for them by a setting up a 'traveling Acampada', which is supposed to move from one neighbourhood of Madrid to the other. It promises to be a revolutionary circus.
Comrades, here I sit writing in the information center on Puerta del Sol. I had only just arrived this morning when I was interviewed by yet another Spanish TV station to explain what we intend to do next, and who I am.
"Soy Oscar Italo-Holandés."
"And why are you here?"
Folks, it's really funny, television. It's perfectly adapted for rhetorical statements. For soundbites.
"I'm here because I think of it as a moral duty to carry out the revolution."
I will continue to do so, dear comrades. As long as there's revolution, I'll be there to report to you.
Hasta la victoria,
Oscar
ZNetwork is funded solely through the generosity of its readers.
Donate