The openMovements series invites leading social scientists to share their research results and perspectives on contemporary social struggles.
Pablo Iglesias at the closing rally in Madrid, June 24, 2016. Francisco Seco / Press Association. all rights reserved. Five years ago, after the square occupation started by the activist network “Juventud Sin Futuro” (“Youth Without Future”) on May 15, 2011, a small group of people decided to camp at the Puerta del Sol, the emblematic square of Madrid. They pointed to the lack of political alternatives before local elections and the first major social cuts of the economic crisis provoked by Zapatero’s Socialist government. Traditional politics didn’t meet the aspirations of an overwhelming part of the citizenship, thus the Indignants movement began.
The facts are well known: almost a month-long camp, demonstrations in more than 60 Spanish cities, more than a million people on the streets, more than 500 assemblies all over the world, and a series of parallel mobilizations, like the different “occupy” movements.
