This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis [1].
During the global protests in over 1000 cities [2] and 82 countries [3] this October 15, people gathered under the motto “United for global change” to demand their rights and a true democracy. The Internet was flooded with videos [4] [es] calling upon the thousands of citizens that disagree with the policies of social cuts and the submissiveness of the governments to the market and financial corporations.
@democraciareal [5]: ¿Piensas quedarte en casa y leer lo que ha sucedido en los libros de historia? ¿o quieres ser partícipe y vivirlo? # yosalgo15O [6] #15Oready [7]
In Spain's particular case, the list of meeting spots was quite extensive, as seen in the following image:
In the first cities throughout the country, the influx of people was extremely large, reaching 500,000 in Madrid and 350,000 in Barcelona. The streets in these called-upon cities filled with posters, ideas and people outraged by neoliberal measures. Both demonstrations took place peacefully and the plazas came to harbor the feeling of union for global change, a change of mentality.
The country's more conservative media, which has been misinforming readers from the moment the #15O movement began, took to the streets with the following front page:
@MikelSB [11]: Acabo de ver la portada de #ABC [12]bit.ly/nAqieS [13] ¡Lamentable manipulación! Sacan la única manifestación con incidentes del #15o [14]
The head of the newspaper El Mundo [15] [es], Pedro J. Ramírez, conducted a poll on Twitter that suggests the position the conservative media wants to give the global movement for change; they either place 15M in the extreme left, portray them as violent, or completely belittle the thousands of people who took to the streets.
@pedroj_ramirez [16]: Q opináis? a) El 15M generará nuevo partido de izdas. b) El 15M derivará en violencia antiRajoy. c) El 15M seguirá lúdico e irrelevante.
As seen on front pages the following day, on October 16 [18] [es], not all newspapers share the same headlines nor partake in informational censorship in the least, unlike some cited previously.
This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis [1].