Anti-austerity movement in Spain

Since the 2008–2014 Spanish financial crisis began, Spain has had one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe, reaching a eurozone record of 21.3%.{{Cite news|date=2013-04-25|title=Spain unemployment hits record high|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-22290422|access-date=2020-06-08}}{{Cite web|last=Alomon|first=Kyle|date=14 July 2011|title=Who's got the highest (and lowest) unemployment rates?|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/07/14/world.comparison.unemployment/index.html|access-date=2 June 2020|website=www.cnn.com|language=en}} The number of unemployed people in Spain stood at 4,910,200 at the end of March 2011, up about 214,000 from the previous quarter,{{cite news|title=Unemployment in Spain rises sharply to 21.3 percent|url=http://www.eitb.com/news/detail/646452/unemployment-spain-rises-sharply-213-percent/|access-date=30 May 2011|newspaper=EITB|archive-date=3 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503211517/http://www.eitb.com/news/detail/646452/unemployment-spain-rises-sharply-213-percent/|url-status=dead}} while the youth unemployment rate stands at 43.5%, the highest in the European Union.{{cite news|title=El desempleo juvenil alcanza en España su mayor tasa en 16 años|url=http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/dinero/2011/04/02/0003_201104G2P26991.htm|access-date=30 May 2011|newspaper=La Voz de Galicia}} In September 2010 the government approved a sweeping overhaul of the labour market designed to reduce unemployment and revive the economy.{{Cite web|last=Buck|first=Tobias|date=18 December 2013|title=OECD hails Spain's labour market reform|url=https://www.ft.com/content/12b0e3a6-67e8-11e3-8ada-00144feabdc0|access-date=2020-06-13|website=www.ft.com}}{{Cite news|last1=Donadio|first1=Rachel|last2=Fuchs|first2=Dale|date=2010-02-17|title=Spanish Premier Insists Economic Recovery Is Near|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/world/europe/18spain.html|access-date=2020-06-13|issn=0362-4331}} Large trade unions such as CCOO and Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT), among other minor ones, rejected the plan because it made it easier and cheaper for employers to hire and fire workers. Trade unions called for the first general strike in a decade, on 29 September 2010.{{cite news|title=Spain overhauls labour market, as unions plan general strike|url=http://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/Spain-overhauls-labour-market-afp-3494097690.html?x=0|access-date=30 May 2011|publisher=Yahoo!|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718133929/http://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/Spain-overhauls-labour-market-afp-3494097690.html?x=0|archive-date=18 July 2011|url-status=dead}}

File:Manifestacio22gener.jpg

For the rest of the year, the government proceeded with economic reforms. In January 2011, the government reached an agreement with the main trade unions to increase the retirement age from 65 to 67. Anarcho-syndicalist and other related unions rejected the plan and called for a strike on 27 January in Galicia, Catalonia and the Basque Country. Other demonstrations in Madrid ended up in altercations with the police.{{cite news|title=Spain retirement age going to 67 in austerity push|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700104907/Spain-retirement-age-going-to-67-in-austerity-push.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113135825/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700104907/Spain-retirement-age-going-to-67-in-austerity-push.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 January 2012|access-date=30 May 2011|newspaper=Deseret News}}{{cite news|title=Hoy huelga en Euskadi, Navarra, Galicia y Catalunya|url=http://www.publico.es/dinero/358382/hoy-huelga-en-euskadi-navarra-galicia-y-catalunya|access-date=30 May 2011|newspaper=Público}} The majority of Spaniards also rejected the higher retirement age.{{cite news|title=Un 79% de los españoles, en contra del retraso de la jubilación a los 67 años|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/04/06/espana/1302086451.html|access-date=30 May 2011|newspaper=El Mundo}} In February a wide-sweeping internet copyright infringement policy known as the Sinde law passed, adding another motivation for the protests.{{Cite news|date=2012-03-08|title=Spain adopts tough new piracy law|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-16391727|access-date=2020-06-13}} The law allowed an administrative commission to shut down any website that showed links or allowed irregular downloading of copyrighted content without judicial supervision. Users on Spanish forums and social networks criticized the law; the PSOE, PP and Convergence and Union affirmed these criticisms. An anonymous campaign with the #nolesvotes appeared online, calling on citizens to vote against any of the parties that passed the law.{{cite news|title=Congress has given the definitive approval to the Law Sinde|url=http://www.spainreview.net/index.php/2011/02/16/congress-has-given-the-definitive-approval-to-the-law-sinde/|access-date=30 May 2011|newspaper=Spain Review|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110423043459/http://www.spainreview.net/index.php/2011/02/16/congress-has-given-the-definitive-approval-to-the-law-sinde/|archive-date=23 April 2011|url-status=dead}}

Prior to 15 May, other demonstrations served as precursors to the main protests in Madrid.{{Cite book|last1=Vanden|first1=Harry E.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HzMlDwAAQBAJ&q=Youth+without+Future+5%2C000&pg=PA175|title=The New Global Politics: Global Social Movements in the Twenty-First Century|last2=Funke|first2=Peter N.|last3=Prevost|first3=Gary|date=2017-03-16|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-315-52228-9|language=en}} These demonstrations include the 7 April protest in Madrid by the student group Youth without Future ({{Lang|es|Juventud Sin Futuro}}), which gathered 5,000 people. Spanish media drew comparisons between the demonstrations and the 2008–09 protests against the Bologna Process.{{cite news|title=El movimiento del 15-M, balance y perspectivas tras un mes de actividad|url=http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=131275|access-date=20 August 2011|newspaper=Rebelion}} The anti-austerity movement in Portugal also inspired the demonstrations undertaken in Spain. According to Peter Gelderloos, the movement led to the creation of hundreds of police-free zones across the country, hospitals were occupied and saved from privatisation, neighbourhood assemblies sprang up, unused land and homes were occupied and squatted, worker cooperatives were founded and urban community gardens were established.{{Cite book|title=The Failure of Nonviolence|last=Gelderloos|first=Peter|year=2015}}

File:15M-ExcelenteRevulsivoImportanteH264-bien-6000-v1.6.ogv

{{Main|Plataforma ¡Democracia Real YA!}}

In January 2011, users on Spanish social media networks and forums created the digital platform ¡Democracia Real YA!.{{cite news|title=El 15-M sacude el sistema|url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/reportajes/-M/sacude/sistema/elpepusocdmg/20110522elpdmgrep_1/Tes|access-date=26 May 2011|newspaper=El País}} Using Twitter and Facebook, it called "the unemployed, poorly paid, the subcontractors, the precarious, young people..." to take to the streets on 15 May in the following places: A Coruña, Albacete, Algeciras, Alicante, Almería, Arcos de la Frontera, Badajoz, Barcelona, Bilbao, Burgos, Cáceres, Cadiz, Cartagena, Castellón, Ciudad Real, Córdoba, Cuenca, Ferrol, Figueres, Fuengirola, Gijón, Granada, Guadalajara, Huelva, Jaén, Lanzarote, La Palma, León, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Lleida, Logroño, Lugo, Madrid, Málaga, Menorca, Mérida, Monforte de Lemos, Murcia, Ourense, Oviedo, Palma, Pamplona, Plasencia, Ponferrada, Puertollano, Salamanca, San Sebastián, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Santander, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Soria, Tarragona, Toledo, Torrevieja, Ubrique, Valencia, Valladolid, Vigo, Vitoria and Zaragoza.¡Democracia Real Ya!; [http://democraciarealya.es/?page_id=580 Convocatorias] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110618052911/http://www.democraciarealya.es/?page_id=580 |date=18 June 2011 }}, 15 May 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011. That same day, small demonstrations in support of the Spanish ones were organised in Dublin, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Bologna, London and Paris.

Before the demonstrations, ¡Democracia Real YA! staged several symbolic events, such as the occupation of a bank in Murcia on 13 May.{{cite news|title=La Plataforma 15M ocupa una oficina del Banco Santander|url=http://www.tercerainformacion.es/spip.php?article24984|access-date=30 May 2011|newspaper=Tercera Información}}

The first event was called under the motto "we are not goods in the hands of politicians and bankers" and was focused on opposition to what the demonstrators called "antisocial means in the hands of bankers."{{Cite news|last=Rainsford|first=Sarah|date=2011-10-15|title=Spain's 'Indignant' protesters return|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-15315270|access-date=2020-06-08}}{{Cite news|last=Younge|first=Gary|date=2019-11-23|title=Streets on fire: how a decade of protest shaped the world|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/nov/23/decade-of-protest-occupy-wall-street-extinction-rebellion-gary-younge|access-date=2020-06-08|issn=0261-3077}} The motto referred partly to the changes made in 2010 to contain the ongoing European sovereign debt crisis through bailout of the banks, which the Spanish society saw as responsible for the crisis. At the same time, the government continued to announce social program cutbacks. Protesters demanded spiritual philanthropy.

File:Democracia real YA Madrid.jpg

According to ¡Democracia Real YA!, 50,000 people gathered in Madrid alone. The National Police placed the number at 20,000.{{cite web |url=http://democraciarealya.es/ |title=Comunicado de prensa de 'Democracia Real Ya' |publisher=Democraciarealya.es |access-date=22 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520210745/http://www.democraciarealya.es/ |archive-date=20 May 2011 |url-status=dead }} The march started in Plaza de Cibeles and ended in Puerta del Sol, where several manifestos were read. Also according to the organizers, 15,000 gathered in the demonstration in Barcelona, which ended in front of the Parliament of Catalonia.{{Cite web|title=Protests over austerity measures injure 36 in Barcelona|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/06/15/spain.catalan.protests/index.html|access-date=2020-06-13|website=www.cnn.com|language=en}} In other cities such as Granada, up to 5,000 protesters attended. These protests took place mostly without incident, except for an exchange of insults between some protesters and members of the Fraternity of the Virgin of Rosario, whose procession overlapped with the end of the protest after the latter continued longer than expected. In Santiago de Compostela, a group of eight hooded people smashed several banks and local businesses.{{cite news|title=1.000 personas se manifiestan en Compostela reclamando Democracia Real Ya|url=http://santiago.redperiodista.es/2011/05/15/1-000-personas-se-manifiestan-en-compostela-reclamando-democracia-real-ya/|access-date=7 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720145150/http://santiago.redperiodista.es/2011/05/15/1-000-personas-se-manifiestan-en-compostela-reclamando-democracia-real-ya/|archive-date=20 July 2011|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|author=Juan Enrique Gómez|url=http://www.ideal.es/granada/v/20110516/granada/personas-toman-calles-granada-20110516.html |title=5.000 personas toman las calles de Granada para exigir "democracia real, ya". |date=16 May 2011 |publisher=Ideal.es |access-date=22 May 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ideal.es/granada/20110516/local/granada/democracia-real-ya-bronca-cruzarse-procesion-aurora-201105161109.html |title=Democracia Real Ya: Bronca al cruzarse con la procesión de la Virgen del Rosario. Ideal |date=17 May 2011 |publisher=Ideal.es |access-date=22 May 2011}} It was estimated by Deconomia that about 130,000 people throughout Spain followed the protesters that day.{{cite web|url=http://deconomia.com/el-mal-llamado-rescate/|title=Razones que demuestran que España fue rescatada|author=deconomia|work=deconomia}}{{Cite book|last=Epstein|first=Irving|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UGAICgAAQBAJ&q=130%2C000+Spanish+protestors&pg=PA96|title=The WholeWorld is Texting: Youth Protest in the Information Age|date=2015-06-26|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-94-6300-055-0|language=en}}

At the end of the demonstrations in Madrid, protesters blocked the Gran Vía avenue and staged a peaceful sit-in in Callao street, to which police responded by beating protesters with truncheons. As a result of the clashes and the following riots, several shop windows were destroyed and trash containers burned. Police officers arrested 24 people, and five police officers were injured.{{cite news|title=24 detenidos y cinco policías heridos en la protesta antisistema de Madrid|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/05/16/madrid/1305498063.html|access-date=2 June 2011|newspaper=El Mundo}} On 17 May, ¡Democracia Real YA! condemned the "brutal police repression" and rejected any association with the incidents.{{cite news|title=Comunicado de Democracia real YA |url=http://www.insurgente.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7288:comunicado-de-prensa-de-democracia-real-ya&catid=232:convocatorias-y-documentos&Itemid=446 |access-date=2 June 2011 |publisher=insurgente.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521165902/http://www.insurgente.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7288%3Acomunicado-de-prensa-de-democracia-real-ya&catid=232%3Aconvocatorias-y-documentos&Itemid=446 |archive-date=21 May 2011 }} After the incidents, a group of 100 people headed to Puerta del Sol and started camping in the middle of the square, which would result in the following day's protests.{{cite news|title=Madrid|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/05/16/madrid/1305541852.html|access-date=2 June 2011|newspaper=El Mundo}}{{cite news|title=Sol power: the 15-M story so far|url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/english/Sol/power/the/15-M/story/far/elpepueng/20110804elpeng_3/Ten|access-date=20 August 2011|newspaper=El País}}

During the day, several people gathered in Puerta del Sol and decided to stay in the square until the elections on 22 May. Meanwhile, 200 people started a similar action in Barcelona's Plaça Catalunya, although police initially attempted to disperse the crowds. That day the tag #spanishrevolution, as well as other ones related to the protests, became trending topics on Twitter.

File:Acampada Sol ph03.jpg

In the early hours of 17 May, police cleared the Puerta del Sol square and removed the 150 people who had camped out. Two protesters were arrested and one injured.{{cite news|title=El colectivo 'Democracia real ya' anuncia más protestas tras el desalojo de Sol|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/05/17/madrid/1305630397.html|access-date=20 August 2011|newspaper=El Mundo}}{{cite news|title=Spanish police break up Madrid sit-in|url=http://www.efeamerica.com/309_hispanic-world/1129105_spanish-police-break-up-madrid-sit-in.html|access-date=20 August 2011|newspaper=EFE|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521051846/http://www.efeamerica.com/309_hispanic-world/1129105_spanish-police-break-up-madrid-sit-in.html|archive-date=21 May 2011|url-status=dead}} In response to the eviction and police violence, protesters (independent of the ¡Democracia Real YA! organization) used SMS, Facebook and Twitter to call for a mass response at 8 p.m. in several Spanish squares. Large groups of demonstrators returned to protest in various cities, standing apart from the group in Madrid. The police allowed protesters to camp out in a few cities, like A Coruña, where more than 1,000 people gathered.{{in lang|es}} [http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/espana/2011/05/17/00031305646837535184832.htm "Varias acampadas reavivan las movilizaciones de «indignados» en Galicia", 17 May 2011.] La Voz de Galicia. Retrieved 17 May 1011. In Madrid more than 12,000 people gathered and about 200 protesters organized into an assembly, during which they decided to organize themselves for spending the night in the square, creating cleaning, communication, extension, materials and legal committees. Previously, small businesses had provided a great deal of assistance with supplies, including food.{{in lang|es}} [http://www.eldiariomontanes.es/rc/20110517/mas-actualidad/nacional/cientos-indignados-vuelven-tomar-201105172059.html "Miles de 'indignados' vuelven a tomar la Puerta del Sol", 17 May 2011.] El Diario Montañés. Retrieved 17 May 1011.Pérez-Lanzac, Carmen {{in lang|es}} [http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/05/17/actualidad/1305623988_837783.html "Indignados y acampados", 17 May 2011.] El País. Retrieved 17 May 1011. Dozens of people also gathered in front of the courthouse in Madrid, where the people arrested during the 15 May demonstration were being held. All detainees were released.

Protests and nighttime camp-outs took place in 30 cities around Spain, including Barcelona and Valencia.El Mundo; [http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/05/17/espana/1305649774.html Acampadas en cadena hasta el próximo 22-M] The protests gained the support of some people in the United Kingdom, who announced that they would sit outside of the Spanish embassy from 18 to 22 May. The protest in Plaza del Sol on the night of 17 May consisted of about 4,000 people, according to the authorities. As evening fell, the protesters put up a large tarp canopy beneath which they passed out signs with the intention of spending the night. Three hundred of them stayed until the dawn of 18 May.Muñoz Lara, Aurora. [http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/05/16/actualidad/1305579962_497160.html "El movimiento 15-M abarrota Sol".] El País. The camp can be considered a form of prefigurative politics and can be understood as a small symbolic city within the city.{{Cite book|last=Ramírez Blanco|first=Julia|url=https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783319714219|title=Artistic Utopias of Revolt: Claremont Road, Reclaim the Streets, and the City of Sol|date=2018|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-3-319-71421-9|series=Palgrave Studies in Utopianism|language=en}}

File:Acampada Sol ph18.jpg

According to El País, many protesters wore carnations, imitating protesters during the Portuguese Carnation Revolution. In addition, protesters organized a food stand, which provided food donated by local businesses, and set up a webcam to provide news from Puerta del Sol through the website Ustream.tv. The protesters were advised not to drink alcohol or to organize into groups of more than 20 people, as these acts could provoke a legal police crackdown.{{cite news|title=Miles de personas toman las calles y pasan la noche en la Puerta del Sol|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/05/17/madrid/1305655963.html|access-date=29 December 2011|newspaper=El Mundo}}

The police ordered protesters to disperse in Valencia, Tenerife and Las Palmas. During the evacuation of the Plaza del Carmen in Granada, three people were arrested.Ideal.es; [http://www.ideal.es/granada/20110517/local/granada/democracia-real-convoca-acampada-201105171745.html "La Policía Nacional retira a los 'indignados' acampados en la Plaza del Carmen de Granada".] Retrieved 18 May 2011.Ideal.es. [http://www.ideal.es/granada/20110518/local/granada/tres-indignados-detenidos-desalojo-plaza-carmen-granada-201105180936.html "Tres 'indignados' detenidos tras el desalojo en la Plaza del Carmen de Granada".] Retrieved 18 May 2011. Speeches continued throughout the afternoon. The protests grew to include León, Seville (where a campout started as of 19 May), and other provincial capitals and cities in Spain. Protesters created support groups for each campout on Twitter and other national and international networks. Google Docs and other servers began to receive download requests for documents needed to legally request permission for new protests.{{cite web|title=La #spanishrevolution se blinda legalmente a gracias Google Docs|url=http://www.antena3.com/noticias/tecnologia/spanishrevolution-blinda-legalmente-gracias-google-docs_2011051700166.html|work=Antena 3|access-date=29 December 2011}} In the morning, the Federación de Asociaciones de Vecinos de Barcelona (FAVB) announced its support of the protests in Barcelona.Federación de Asociaciones de Vecinos de Barcelona (en catalán); [http://www.favb.cat/ "La Favb crida a recolzar l'acampada de plaça Catalunya". 18 May 2011.] Retrieved 18 May 2011. Protesters agreed to hold meetings between their organizing committees each day at 1 p.m. and assemblies at 8 p.m.El País. [http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/05/18/actualidad/1305725291_126850.html "Un ágora instalado en el kilómetro 0" 18 May 2011.] Retrieved 18 May 2011.

The Washington Post covered the protests on 15 May; on 18 May, more media outlets began to publish news reports. Among them was Le Monde, the most widely circulated newspaper written in French, with an article that noted the rarity of such large-scale protests in Spain.Le Monde (en francés). [http://www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2011/05/18/les-jeunes-espagnols-dans-la-rue-pour-clamer-leur-ras-le-bol_1523749_3214.html "Les jeunes Espagnols dans la rue pour clamer leur ras-le-bol". 18 May 2011] Retrieved 18 May 2011. The German newspaper Der Spiegel noted the importance of the effects of what has been called "The Facebook Generation" on the protests.Der Spiegel (en alemán); [http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,763385,00.html "Job-Misere treibt Spaniens Jugend auf die Straße". 18 May 2011.] Retrieved 18 May 2011. The Portuguese paper Jornal de Notícias reported on the protests in Madrid as soon as it was known that they had been prohibited.Jornal de Notícias (en portugués); [http://www.jn.pt/PaginaInicial/Mundo/Interior.aspx?content_id=1855373 Manifestação proibida no centro de Madrid] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927161845/http://www.jn.pt/PaginaInicial/Mundo/Interior.aspx?content_id=1855373 |date=27 September 2011 }}, 18 May 2011 (consultado el mismo día). The New York Times cited El País and noted the strong organization of the protesters, particularly the 200 people who had been placed in charge of security, and the use of Twitter to ensure dissemination of their message.The New York Times (en inglés); [http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/18/protesters-rally-in-madrid-despite-ban/?smid=tw-thelede&seid=auto Protesters Rally in Madrid Despite Ban], 18 May 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2011. The Washington Post again reported on the protests in Puerta del Sol, giving them the name of a "revolution," estimating that 10,000 people attended Wednesday afternoon's protest, and comparing the protests with those in Cairo's Tahrir Square, which had recently ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.{{cite news|last=Flock |first=Elizabeth |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/spanish-revolution-thousands-gather-in-madrids-puerta-del-sol-square/2011/05/18/AFLzpZ6G_blog.html |title=Spanish 'revolution': Thousands gather in Madrid's Puerta del Sol Square |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=18 May 2011 |access-date=22 May 2011}} The BBC made reference to the peaceful nature of the protests in Puerta del Sol.

In the evening, the President of the Regional Electoral Committee of Madrid issued a statement declaring the protests illegal because "calls for a responsible vote can change the results of the elections."Elpais.es; [http://www.elpais.com/elpaismedia/ultimahora/media/201105/18/espana/20110518elpepunac_2_Pes_PDF.pdf Acuerdo de la Junta Electoral Provincial de Madrid] Police units stationed at Plaza del Sol, however, received orders from the Government Delegation not to take out any further action.{{cite web|url=http://ecodiario.eleconomista.es/politica/noticias/3080803/05/11/La-Policia-tiene-la-orden-de-no-desalojar-Sol.html |title=La Policía tiene la orden de no desalojar Sol – 3080803 – EcoDiario.es |work=El Economista |date=18 May 2011 |access-date=22 May 2011}}

File:Protestas Puerta del Sol - Madrid - mayo 2011 - 01.jpg

File:Manifestations des indignés à Bastille 03.jpg, Berlin, London and, pictured here on 20 May, Paris, France.]]

According to Britain's The Guardian, "tens of thousands" had camped out in Madrid and throughout the country on the night of 19–20 May.{{cite news|author=Giles Tremlett |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/may/20/spain-bans-protest-ahead-election?intcmp=239 |title=Spain bans young protesters ahead of elections|work=The Guardian |date= 20 May 2011|access-date=22 May 2011 |location=London}}

At 10:00 a.m. United Left appealed the Electoral Board's decision to ban the protests before Spain's Supreme Court.{{Cite news|last1=ÁLVAREZ|first1=PILAR|last2=LÁZARO|first2=JULIO M.|date=2011-05-20|title=El Supremo estudia el recurso de IU contra la prohibición de las concentraciones|language=es|work=El País|url=https://elpais.com/elpais/2011/05/20/actualidad/1305879429_850215.html|access-date=2020-06-09|issn=1134-6582}} Hours later, the State Prosecution presented its arguments to the court.El País; [http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/05/20/actualidad/1305898023_980425.html El Supremo delibera sobre el recurso de IU, al que se opone la Fiscalía], 20 May 2011 (consultado el mismo día).

Spain's public broadcaster, RTVE, reported that the State Prosecutor upheld the decision taken by the Central Electoral Board[http://www.rtve.es/noticias/20110520/fiscalia-respalda-decision-jec-prohibir-movilizaciones-sabado-domingo/433768.shtml RTVE.es "La Fiscalía respalda la decisión de la JEC de prohibir las movilizaciones el sábado y el domingo"]. Retrieved 20 May 2011 to ban the rallies.[http://www.elpais.com/elpaismedia/ultimahora/media/201105/20/espana/20110520elpepunac_2_Pes_PDF.pdf "Documento oficial de la desestimación del recurso presentado por Izquierda Unida"], 20 May 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2011 Meanwhile, the police announced that they had been given instructions not to dissolve the crowd at Puerta del Sol provided that there was no disturbance of the peace.Europa Press; [http://www.europapress.es/nacional/noticia-15m-policia-no-desalojara-puerta-sol-mientras-no-haya-incidentes-20110520203416.html "La Policía no desalojará la Puerta del Sol mientras no haya incidentes"], 20 May 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2011

RTVE later reported that the country's Constitutional Court had been deliberating since 7:30 p.m. whether to review an appeal against the decision of the Central Electoral Board.[http://www.rtve.es/noticias/20110518/minuto-minuto-manifestacion-acampada-movimiento-15/433335.shtml "Sala Segunda del Constitucional estudia desde las 19.30 hora peninsular si admite a trámite el recurso de amparo interpuesto por un abogado de Murcia contra la decisión de la JEC."]. Retrieved 20 May 2011 At 10:08 p.m., RTVE reported that the Constitutional Court had rejected the appeal on the formality that the appellant had not appealed first to the Supreme Court.[http://www.rtve.es/noticias/20110518/minuto-minuto-manifestacion-acampada-movimiento-15/433335.shtml 22.08 "El Tribunal Constitucional rechaza admitir el recurso del abogado de Murcia porque no ha agotado todas las vías.]. Retrieved 20 May 2011

At 10:47 p.m. United Left announced it would appeal the Supreme Court's decision before the Tribunal Constitucional. They had until midnight.[http://www.rtve.es/noticias/20110518/minuto-minuto-manifestacion-acampada-movimiento-15/433335.shtml RTVE: 22.47 Izquierda Unida presentará antes de la medianoche un recurso de amparo ante el Tribunal Constitucional]. Retrieved 20 May 2011

At around 11:00 p.m., some 16,000 (according to the police) to 19,000 (according to RTVE) people were gathered at and around Puerta del Sol.{{cite web|author=RTVE.es |url=http://www.rtve.es/noticias/20110518/minuto-minuto-manifestacion-acampada-movimiento-15/433335.shtml |title=Minuto a minuto: Los acampados debaten hoy el futuro del movimiento 15M tras las elecciones |publisher=RTVE.es |date=18 May 2011 |access-date=22 May 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110612085358/http://www.rtve.es/noticias/20110518/minuto-minuto-manifestacion-acampada-movimiento-15/433335.shtml| archive-date= 12 June 2011 | url-status= live}}

In Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga and other cities, 21 May started with a "mute scream" followed by cheers and applause.{{cite news|url=http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/05/20/actualidad/1305920877_763863.html |title=El movimiento 15-M acampará una semana más en Sol | Política | EL PAÍS |newspaper=El País |date=22 May 2011 |access-date=22 May 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110522092629/http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/05/20/actualidad/1305920877_763863.html| archive-date= 22 May 2011 | url-status= live|last1=González |first1=Miguel |last2=Santaeulalia |first2=Inés |last3=Saleh |first3=Samira }} Smaller cities, such as Granada, decided to start before midnight to avoid disturbing the neighbors. These protests occurred even though protests on the day before elections are banned.{{cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/thousand-defy-protest-ban-to-rally-ahead-of-spanish-elections-122384549/139708.html|title=Thousand Defy Protest Ban to Rally Ahead of Spanish Elections|publisher=Voice of America|date=21 May 2011|access-date=21 May 2011}}

Around 28,000 people (according to the police) crowded Puerta del Sol and the neighboring streets despite the prohibition. Other cities also gathered large numbers of people: 15,000 in Malaga, 10,000 in Valencia, 8,000 in Barcelona, 6,000 in Zaragoza, 4,000 in Seville, 3,000 in Bilbao, 3,000 in Palma, 2,000 in Gijón, 2,000 in Oviedo, 1,500 in Granada, 1,000 in Vigo, 800 in Almeria, around 800 in Avilés, 600 in Cadiz, 200 in Huelva, and around 100 in Jaen. Demonstrations also occurred in other European cities, with 300 protesters participating in London, 500 in Amsterdam,{{cite web|url=http://radecon.blogspot.com/2011/05/spanish-workers-put-class-back-on.html|title=Radical political economics|author=Wjard|work=radecon.blogspot.com}} 600 in Brussels and 200 in Lisbon. Minor demonstrations occurred in Athens, Milan, Budapest, Tangiers, Paris, Berlin, Vienna and Rome.

Just after 2:00 p.m. on election day, the indignados (outraged) that had gathered at Puerta del Sol announced that they had voted to stay at least another week, until noon on 29 May.[http://www.rtve.es/noticias/20110522/indigandos-mantiene-camapadas-durante-jornada-electoral/433957.shtml RTVE: 'Los "indignados" de Sol deciden mantener las protestas al menos una semana más']. Retrieved 22 May 2011 Early analysis of the local and regional elections, won by the People's Party, suggested the protest movement could have contributed to losses for the ruling PSOE,Yahoo! Noticias; [http://es.noticias.yahoo.com/soci%C3%B3logos-califican-22-m-tsunami-pero-no-ensayo-104409097.html Sociólogos califican 22-M de 'tsunami' pero no de ensayo general] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526235729/http://es.noticias.yahoo.com/soci%C3%B3logos-califican-22-m-tsunami-pero-no-ensayo-104409097.html |date=26 May 2011 }}, 23 May 2011 (accessed the same day). and to increased numbers of spoilt or blank votes, which reached record levels.El País; [http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/05/23/actualidad/1306104164_099870.html Aumentan el voto en blanco y nulo en más de un punto], 23 May 2011 (accessed the same day).

In Murcia about 80 people gained access to the headquarters of the television channel 7 Región de Murcia, avoiding security staff, in order to read a manifesto denouncing media manipulation.{{cite news |url=http://www.europapress.es/sociedad/noticia-amp-15m-centenar-indignados-entran-sede-tv-murciana-leer-manifiesto-20110524135910.html |title=AMP.- 15M.- Un centenar de 'indignados' entran la sede de la TV murciana para leer un manifiesto |work=Europa Press |date=24 May 2011 |access-date=26 May 2011}} Approximately 30 people gained unobstructed entry to the Tarragona office of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and shouted slogans against the political and economic systems, before moving to several financial sites in the city centre to do the same.{{cite news |url=http://www.diaridetarragona.com/tarragona/055956/treintena/indignados/irrumpen/delegacion/hacienda/tarragona |title=Una treintena de 'indignados' irrumpen en la delegación de Hacienda de Tarragona |work=Diari de Tarragona |date=24 May 2011 |access-date=26 May 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110710123320/http://www.diaridetarragona.com/tarragona/055956/treintena/indignados/irrumpen/delegacion/hacienda/tarragona| archive-date= 10 July 2011 | url-status= live}}

In Málaga, the Ministry of Defence decided to relocate various activities for Armed Forces Day, including the King's visit, planned for Friday 27. Protesters had already been occupying the Plaza de la Constitución, where the events were scheduled to take place, for eight days.[http://www.cadenaser.com/espana/articulo/defensa-cambia-ubicacion-varios-actos-dia-fuerzas-armadas-15-m/csrcsrpor/20110525csrcsrnac_10/Tes Defensa cambia de ubicación varios actos del Día de las Fuerzas Armadas por el 15-M] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531114951/http://www.cadenaser.com/espana/articulo/defensa-cambia-ubicacion-varios-actos-dia-fuerzas-armadas-15-m/csrcsrpor/20110525csrcsrnac_10/Tes |date=31 May 2011 }}, Cadena SER

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At approximately 7 a.m. on 27 May, another incident occurred when the city council of Barcelona decided to send 350 police officers from the Mossos d'Esquadra and roughly 100 more from the Guàrdia Urbana to temporarily vacate Plaça de Catalunya so that it could be cleaned ahead of the Champions League final on 28 May, in which FC Barcelona were playing against Manchester United.{{cite news |url=http://www.lne.es/espana/2011/05/27/govern-defiende-carga-actuacion-mossos/1080981.html |title=El Govern defiende la carga y la actuación de los Mossos |work=La nueva España |access-date=28 May 2011 |date=27 May 2011}}{{cite news|last=Rainsford|first=Sarah|title=Anger as Spanish police move on Barcelona protest camp|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13582863|access-date=29 May 2011|publisher=BBC|date=28 May 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110528112121/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13582863| archive-date= 28 May 2011 | url-status= live}} The resulting violent clash ended in 121 light injuries and provoked new calls to protest in all squares still occupied across Spain.The Washington Post; [https://web.archive.org/web/20181211160252/https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/121-injured-as-spanish-police-clash-with-protesters-in-makeshift-camp/2011/05/27/AGSJimCH_story.html Scores injured as Spanish police clash with protesters in makeshift camp], 27 May 2011 (accessed the same day). The majority of those injured suffered bruises and open wounds caused by police officers' truncheons; one protester left with a broken arm. The protesters who had been vacated returned to the square by early afternoon.El País; [http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/05/27/actualidad/1306489864_137130.html Los 'indignados' recuperan la plaza de Catalunya tras la retirada de la policía], 27 May 2011 (accessed the same day).

Similar incidents also occurred in Lleida and Sabadell, where Mossos d'Esquadra officers dismantled the protesters' encampments. According to police figures, more than 12,000 people gathered in Barcelona through the course of the day, angry about the earlier actions of the police and painting their hands white and carrying flowers as symbols of protest. They demanded, among other things, the resignation of the head of the Mossos d'Esquadra, Felip Puig. They also claimed that, following the incident, the encampment likely would not be taken down on Sunday, 29 May, as had previously been stated.El Mundo; [http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/05/27/barcelona/1306518767.html La dureza policial multiplica la indignación en Barcelona], 28 May 2011 (accessed the same day).

The clearing of the Barcelona camp was broadcast live by two Spanish television channels, including Antena 3, and was also widely dispersed through social networks such as Twitter.{{cite news |url=http://www.europapress.es/tv/noticia-antena-impone-cobertura-desalojo-indignados-barcelona-mossos-20110527171123.html |title=Antena 3 se impone en la cobertura del desalojo de 'indignados' en Barcelona por los Mossos |work=Europa Press |date=27 May 2011|access-date=28 May 2011}}{{cite news |url=http://www.siliconnews.es/2011/05/27/bcnsinmiedo-lidera-la-lista-de-trending-topics-mundial/ |language=es |work=Silicon News |date=27 May 2011 |title=#bcnsinmiedo lidera la lista de "trending topics" mundial |access-date=13 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113102123/http://www.siliconnews.es/2011/05/27/bcnsinmiedo-lidera-la-lista-de-trending-topics-mundial/ |archive-date=13 January 2012 |url-status=dead }}

The Catalan ombudsman opened an investigation into the incident to check if police action was disproportionate and violated citizens' rights.El Mundo; [http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/05/27/barcelona/1306498356.html El defensor del pueblo catalán investiga si los Mossos iban bien identificados en el desalojo], 27 May 2011 (accessed the same day).

File:Madrid - Acampada Sol 2011 43.JPG

At least 40 people gathered in Montcada i Reixac, Barcelona. They prevented court officials from serving a family with the order to leave their home immediately and protested against banks repossessing people's homes.{{cite news |language=es |url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/06/02/barcelona/1307036610.html |newspaper=El Mundo |title=Aplazan el segundo intento de desahuciar a una familia |access-date=13 May 2013}}

Representatives from 53 assemblies around Spain gathered in a mass assembly in Puerta del Sol.

In Madrid, hundreds of people gathered in front of the Congreso de los Diputados, with a police barrier preventing them from entering the building. Demonstrations in front of the Parliament are banned in Madrid, but the protest finished without incident.{{cite news|title=Spanish youths take anti-crisis protests to parliament|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hgUMzNYu_3cmZpucroDZoOBkZhgQ?docId=CNG.4b51b056239693ce4c4888dc9ef63302.e01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130222165124/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hgUMzNYu_3cmZpucroDZoOBkZhgQ?docId=CNG.4b51b056239693ce4c4888dc9ef63302.e01|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 February 2013|agency=Agence France-Presse|access-date=8 June 2011}} In Valencia, dozens of people decided to stay in front of the regional Parliament.{{cite web|title=Diario de una revolución en Valencia: Centenares de indignados pasan la noche frente al Parlamento valenciano|url=http://www.elperiodicodeaqui.com/noticias/diario-una-revolucion-en-valencia-centenares-indignados-pasan-noche-frente-pa/5317|work=El Periodico de Aqui|access-date=8 June 2011}} In Barcelona, around 50 people protested outside the Catalan Parliament against Felip Puig.{{cite news|title=Medio centenar de personas exigen ante el Parlament la dimisión de Puig|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/06/08/barcelona/1307549312.html|access-date=13 June 2011|newspaper=El Mundo}}

In the morning, police clashed with protesters in Valencia, injuring 18.[http://channel6newsonline.com/2011/06/18-injured-as-spanish-protesters-clash-with-police/ "18 injured as Spanish protesters clash with police"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614114607/http://channel6newsonline.com/2011/06/18-injured-as-spanish-protesters-clash-with-police/ |date=14 June 2011 }}, Channel 6 News. 9 June 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2011 As a response to the police violence, demonstrators called for a protest in the city later that day, which gathered around 2,000 people. Support demonstrations were held in Barcelona and Madrid, the latter ending up in front of the Parliament for a second night. Barcelona's protest finished in front of the Popular Party's office.{{cite news|title='Indignados' de Barcelona protestan ante la sede del PP por las cargas de Valencia|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/06/09/barcelona/1307649974.html|access-date=13 June 2011|newspaper=El Mundo}}{{cite news|title=Los 'indignados' abandonan la protesta frente al Congreso|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/06/09/espana/1307638845.html|access-date=13 June 2011|newspaper=El Mundo}}

Thousands of indignados from the whole country concentrated at the gates of major city halls during the mayors' swearing-ins after the elections. Protesters broke in on the act in Granada, while two activists were arrested in Burgos and three in Palma. In Castellón, the police dissolved the demonstration violently.{{cite web |url=http://www.noticiasdenavarra.com/2011/06/11/politica/estado/antidisturbios-intervienen-ante-los-indignados-en-madrid |title=Los "indignados" protagonizan la jornada de constitución de los ayuntamientos. Diario de Noticias de Navarra |publisher=Noticiasdenavarra.com |date=16 June 2011 |access-date=18 January 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904180739/http://www.noticiasdenavarra.com/2011/06/11/politica/estado/antidisturbios-intervienen-ante-los-indignados-en-madrid |archive-date=4 September 2012 |url-status=dead }}

On Sunday, 12 June, four weeks after the protests had begun, protesters in the Puerta del Sol in Madrid began to leave, dismantling the camp site; packing up tents, libraries, and shops; and removing protest signs from surrounding sites.{{cite news|url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/indignados/movimiento/15-M/levantan/lema/nos/vamos/nos/expandimos/elpepuesp/20110612elpepunac_1/Tes |title="Los indignados del movimiento 15-M se levantan bajo el lema "No nos vamos, nos expandimos", El País, 12 June 2011. Retrieved 12 June 2011 |work=El País |date=12 June 2011 }}

Thousands of people assembled in front of Barcelona's Parc de la Ciutadella and organized themselves to spend the night, in order to start a blockade of the Catalan Parliament (which is inside the park) on the following day and prevent deputies from entering the building, where the debate on the 2011 budget, which would result in cuts in education and health, was to take place.{{cite news|title=Los 'indignados' acampan ante los agentes de policía que custodian el 'Parlament'|url=http://www.cadenaser.com/espana/articulo/indignados-acampan-agentes-policia-custodian-parlament/csrcsrpor/20110614csrcsrnac_21/Tes|access-date=17 July 2011|newspaper=Cadena Ser}}

File:Parlamentcamp barcelona.jpg

Clashes between protesters and Mossos d'Esquadra occurred in the early hours of the morning when hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the police cordon, while officers fired plastic bullets in order to disperse a group of protesters who had set up barricades using rubbish containers. Hours later, scuffles broke out as Mossos de Esquadra pushed protesters back so the deputies who arrived on foot could pass through. Some deputies, such as former Minister of Labour Celestino Corbacho, were jostled, heckled and sprayed on their way in, while others used police helicopters to get to the parliament, including the president of Catalonia, Artur Mas.{{cite news|title=Catalan politicians take to the skies to avoid protesters|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jun/15/catalan-politicians-protesters-spanish-barcelona|access-date=16 July 2011|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London|date=15 June 2011}} Although lawmakers managed to enter the Catalan Parliament, the scheduled session started with a 15-minute delay.{{cite news|title=Una veintena de diputados acorralados se ha tenido que refugiar en una comisaría|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/06/15/barcelona/1308126903.html|access-date=17 July 2011|newspaper=El Mundo}}

The protest was criticized by politicians across the country. During a press conference, Mas warned of a possible "legitimate use of force" in case demonstrators stayed outside the Parliament, and he called on the public to be understanding. Some politicians went so far as to denounce an attempted "coup d'etat."{{cite news|title=15M Barcelona rechaza la violencia y CiU habla de un golpe de estado encubierto|url=http://www.rtve.es/noticias/20110616/15m-barcelona-rechaza-violencia-vivida-frente-parlament-ciu-habla-golpe-estado-encubierto/440559.shtml|access-date=17 July 2011|newspaper=RTVE}} Acampadabcn, the organiser of the event, and ¡Democracia Real YA! rejected the use of violence but denounced the criminalization of the movement by the media.{{cite news|title='Democracia real Ya' rechaza a la minoría que no representa el espíritu pacífico del movimiento|url=http://www.nacionred.com/derechos-y-libertades/democracia-real-ya-rechaza-a-la-minoria-que-no-representa-el-espiritu-pacifico-del-movimiento|access-date=17 July 2011|newspaper=Nación Red|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110731140526/http://www.nacionred.com/derechos-y-libertades/democracia-real-ya-rechaza-a-la-minoria-que-no-representa-el-espiritu-pacifico-del-movimiento|archive-date=31 July 2011|url-status=dead}} On Twitter and other social networks, many users suggested the possibility that secret police, infiltrated to cause the violence, started most of the clashes.{{cite news|title=#Spanishrevolution blockades Parliament in Barcelona, violence tinges the #15M movement #europeanrevolution|url=http://wlcentral.org/node/1892|access-date=22 May 2024|newspaper=WL Central}}{{cite news|title=The 'indignant' denounce the infiltration of the secret police in the protest before the Parliament|url=https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/1084002/0/infiltracion/policias/parlament/|access-date=22 May 2024|newspaper=20 minutos}}

File:Inicio de la manifestación en la Plaza de la Corredera.jpg, which 8,000 people attended]]

A massive demonstration was carried out in almost 80 Spanish cities and towns. It is believed that more than three million people rallied that day.

The first columns of the Indignant People's March began walking towards Madrid from throughout the country, planning to arrive in the capital on 23 July. The March's goal was to expand the proposals of the Movement while visiting rural areas, collecting their demands, and starting people's assemblies.{{cite news |url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/06/20/valencia/1308550757.html |language=es |title=Indignados de Valencia parten en una marcha a pie hasta Madrid que durará 34 días |date=20 June 2011 |work=El Mundo |access-date=13 May 2013}}

The March was organized in eight columns, consisting of dozens of activists from 16 cities:{{cite web|url=http://www.publico.es/espana/386342/el-15-m-vuelve-al-lugar-donde-empezo-todo |title=El 15-M vuelve al lugar donde empezó todo – Público.es |work=Público |date=10 July 2011 |access-date= 1 May 2012}}

• Eastern route: from Valencia, 20 June
• Murcia route: from Murcia, 20 June
• Northern route: from Santander, Bilbao and Pamplona, 23 and 29 June
• Northwest route: from Santiago de Compostela, Vigo, Ferrol, Avilés and Gijón, between 24 and 30 June
• Southern route: from Cádiz, 24 June
• Southeastern route: from Málaga and Motril, 25 June
• Northeastern route: from Barcelona, 25 June
• N-II route: from Zaragoza, 7 July

File:Marcha Indignada 065.JPG

File:999 Marcha indignada en Aranjuez.JPG, 21 July]]

Dozens of people protested outside Barcelona's town hall during the swearing-in ceremony of Spanish Convergence and Union's candidate Xavier Trias.{{cite news|title=Xavier Trias es proclamado alcalde de Barcelona|url=http://www.lavozdeasturias.es/politica/xavier-trias-proclamado-alcalde-barcelona_0_509349204.html|access-date=16 July 2011|newspaper=La Voz de Asturias|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929182145/http://www.lavozdeasturias.es/politica/xavier-trias-proclamado-alcalde-barcelona_0_509349204.html|archive-date=29 September 2011|url-status=dead}}

File:013 15M Sabado 23.JPG

After a month-long walk, the columns of the Indignant People's March joined in Puerta del Sol, where the movement first emerged. Thousands collapsed the main entrances of Madrid in an improvised demonstration, as sympathizers from Madrid and all over Spain joined the walkers.

The eight columns reunited at 9 p.m. in Puerta del Sol under a banner saying "WELCOME DIGNITY," received with cheers and applause. The march culminated in a wrap up and after-action review assembly, at which participants shared the social, political and economic problems of the towns visited along the way, as well as the proposals made by the townspeople. The protesters created The Book of the People to collect these experiences and redacted it into an official document to be deposited in the Congress of Deputies' register.{{cite web |url=http://www.publico.es/espana/388361/las-siete-columnas-de-los-indignados-a-las-puertas-de-sol |title=Las siete columnas de los indignados, a las puertas de Sol |access-date=13 December 2011|date=22 July 2011 |work=Público }} A provisional camp was established in Paseo del Prado to host the thousands of newly arrived walkers.{{cite web |url=http://www.lasprovincias.es/videos/actualidad/espana/1076068000001-decenas-indignados-acampan-paseo-prado.html |title=Decenas de "indignados" acampan en el Paseo del Prado |access-date=13 December 2011|date=24 July 2011 |publisher=Las Provincias TV.com }}

During the day's rally, protesters sprayed red hand graffiti on buildings and posted bills saying "GUILTY" on bank offices and ministries, referencing the widely held belief that the crisis was caused by banks, the Government, and cuts in social services. Due to the large crowds, the demonstration split into two columns to avoid congestion. The demonstration ended with a protest camp in front of the Congress of Deputies.

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The "I Foro Social del 15M" was held in order to coordinate the mobilizations of the following winter. During the economics assembly, 2001 Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz appeared to show his support to the movement.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2iKj-1v2Cc|title=Joseph Stiglitz apoya el movimiento 15-M|website=YouTube|access-date=2011-07-26}} The camp in front of the Congress continued.

Fifty indignados left Puerta del Sol walking in an International March to Brussels planning to arrive on 8 October, a week before the demonstrations of 15 October, in order to give the people's proposals to the European Parliament.

Police violently removed the camp in Paseo del Prado, injuring a dozen people.{{cite news |url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/madrid/policia/intenta/desalojar/indignados/Paseo/Prado/elpepiespmad/20110728elpmad_8/Tes |title=La policía intenta desalojar a los indignados del Paseo del Prado |access-date=13 December 2011|work= El País|date=28 July 2011 |last1=Santaeulalia |first1=Inés }} As a response, 500 demonstrators rallied towards the Congress. Meanwhile, several activists crossed the police line in the Congress wearing formal dresses and succeeded entering the Congress of Deputies, where the Book of the People, containing the rural problematics found during the Indignant People's March, was delivered. Deputy Gaspar Llamazares compromised on presenting it to the Congress and forwarded it to the Prime Minister. However, he made clear that he had no connection to the Movement.{{cite web |url=http://www.rioja2.com/n-84107-501-Vistete_bien_entraras_Congreso |title=Vístete bien y entrarás al Congreso |access-date=13 December 2011|date=28 July 2011|publisher= Rioja2.com}}{{cite web |url=http://malaga.tomalaplaza.net/2011/07/29/1710/ |title=MPI: Documentación entregada al Congreso de los Diputados |access-date=13 December 2011 |publisher=Movimiento 15-M Málaga |archive-date=25 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125192712/http://malaga.tomalaplaza.net/2011/07/29/1710/ |url-status=dead }}

When the assembly decided on 12 June to dismantle the tent city in Puerta del Sol, it also decided by consensus to leave behind an information booth, called PuntoSol, where people interested in the movement could find information about how it had been decentralized to the neighborhood assemblies.{{cite web|author=asambleapopulardevillaverde |url=http://madrid.tomalosbarrios.net/ |title=Toma los barrios | Asamblea Popular de Madrid: En la Asamblea Popular de Madrid nos coordinamos más de 120 asambleas populares madrileñas. Este portal es uno de los medios de comunicación colectiva de los que nos hemos dotado. ¡Todo el poder para las asambleas! |publisher=Madrid.tomalosbarrios.net |access-date=19 October 2011}} An organic garden surrounding one of the fountains in Sol was also left behind in the square. At 6:30 a.m. on 2 August, the national and municipal police evicted the remaining protesters at the information booth, and cleaning crews dismantled PuntoSol{{cite news|title=Los indignados toman las calles de Madrid contra el desalojo de Sol|url=http://www.publico.es/espana/389877/los-indignados-toman-las-calles-de-madrid-contra-el-desalojo-de-sol|access-date=3 August 2011|newspaper=ElPúblico}} and the organic garden.{{cite news|title=La policía desaloja InfoSol y la acampada del Paseo del Prado|url=http://madrid.tomalaplaza.net/2011/08/02/la-policia-desaloja-infosol-y-la-acampada-del-paseo-del-prado/}} At the same time, they evicted the tent city that had sprung up on the Paseo del Prado. The police then blocked off all access to Sol, including Metro and Cercanías, and filled the square with over 300 police, including riot police, and 50 police vans.{{cite news|title=El cierre de Sol reaviva el 15-M y lleva a 5.000 indignados al centro de Madrid|url= http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/08/02/actualidad/1312267048_030311.html|access-date=3 August 2011|newspaper=EL PAÍS}}

In response, protesters called an immediate convergence to try to access the square. The heavy police presence impeded their entry. The protestors, then numbering over 5,000, decided to turn to the streets, demonstrating from Callao, Gran Vía, Cibeles, and Paseo del Prado, all the way to the Congress of Deputies building, where they were met by more riot police, police barricades and police vans.{{cite news|title=Tensión en Sol|url=http://www.lasextanoticias.com/noticias/ver/tension_en_sol/385723|access-date=3 August 2011|newspaper=laSexta}} Protesters then turned to Atocha and once more to Sol, where they again encountered an overwhelming police presence. The decision was then made by the protesters to occupy Plaza Mayor, where an emergency participatory assembly was held in order to decide what to do.{{cite news|title=Dos detenidos durante la marcha improvisada por el centro de Madrid|url=http://www.publico.es/espana/389893/dos-detenidos-durante-la-marcha-improvisada-por-el-centro-de-madrid|access-date=3 August 2011|newspaper=ElPúblico}} Ultimately, protesters set up a temporary information booth in Plaza Mayor, and some stayed to camp through the night.{{cite news|title=Desalojada la veintena de 'indignados' que permanecía en la Plaza Mayor de Madrid|url=http://www.cadenaser.com/espana/articulo/desalojada-veintena-indignados-permanecia-plaza-mayor-madrid/serpro/20110803csrcsrnac_2/Tes|access-date=3 August 2011|newspaper=cadenaSER}} At the end of the night, two people were arrested, and released the day after.{{cite news|title=Dos detenidos durante la marcha improvisada por el centro de Madrid|url=http://www.publico.es/espana/389893/dos-detenidos-durante-la-marcha-improvisada-por-el-centro-de-madrid|access-date=13 August 2011|newspaper=Público}}

During the Plaza Mayor assembly, protesters decided to hold another assembly at Jacinto Benavente on the next day at 6 p.m. in order to attempt entering the square again. Police then cordoned off the square, and metro and train stations closed, while police asked for identification from anyone trying to pass into the square. Police also asked customers from shops around Sol to close their businesses several hours earlier than usual. As the attempt to enter the square failed, the protesters decided to start a new march from Atocha two hours later. The march from Atocha grew larger as people began passing through Cibeles and up the Gran Vía heading toward Puerta del Sol, where officers and police vans prevented the demonstrators from marching up San Jerónimo street.{{cite news|title=Third day of Sol state of siege|url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/english/Third/day/of/Sol/state/of/siege/elpepueng/20110804elpeng_9/Ten|access-date=14 August 2011|newspaper=El País}} Police and about 4,000 demonstrators then played a game of cat-and-mouse as the demonstrators tried to enter Puerta del Sol through different streets. There were several moments of tension at different points and by 11 p.m., the groups of demonstrators disbanded and retreated to Callao Square, where they held an assembly and decided to hold a demonstration at 12 p.m. on the following day and attempt to enter Sol once again at 8 p.m.

{{external media

|video1={{YouTube|id=pTo81hJxRtY|title=Carga policial frente al Ministerio del Interior}}

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Police charged against protesters in front of the Ministry of the Interior in Madrid.[http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/08/04/actualidad/1312444001_073563.html La policía carga contra cientos de indignados en el Ministerio del Interior] – El País {{in lang|es}}

As part of the October 15 movement, (related to the Occupy movement), hundreds of thousands marched in Madrid and other cities.

A half million people took part in the demonstration that filled the street and marched from Alcala and Cibeles toward Puerta del Sol square in Madrid, home of the "Indignants" movement. Another 450,000 people participated in Barcelona. In both cities, thousands remained and participated in the activities and general assembly.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OoYcSbUm0I |title=El movimiento 15-M paraliza el mundo |date=16 October 2011 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=19 October 2011}}

Two hundred police officers cleared a hotel in Madrid that had been occupied since 15 October. No injuries were reported. Later that day, 3,000 people marched against the eviction in the center of Madrid.{{cite news|title=El 15-M busca techos tras el desalojo del Hotel Madrid|url=http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/12/05/actualidad/1323115927_840218.html|access-date=30 December 2011|newspaper=El País}}

Around 3,000 protesters marched in the center of Madrid in what was called the "Cabalgata de los Indignados" (Outraged Cavalcade). At the beginning of the protest, demonstrators clashed with police, leaving five injured, including two police officers. Two people were arrested. After the initial scuffles with police officers, demonstrators made their way to Puerta del Sol without further incident.{{cite news|title=15-M protestors return to Sol in "Procession of the Indignant Ones"|url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/english/15-M/protestors/return/to/Sol/in/Procession/of/the/Indignant/Ones/elpepueng/20111229elpeng_11/Ten|access-date=30 December 2011|newspaper=El País}}

In May, the protesters celebrated the first anniversary of the "Indignants" protest movement with thousands of people gathering in several Spanish cities{{Which|date=May 2012}} at the same time. As part of a global day of action, similar protests occurred simultaneously in other cities including London, Lisbon, Frankfurt and Tel Aviv.{{cite web|author=Guy Hedgecoe |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18047618 |title=Spain's 'Indignants' mark protest anniversary |publisher=BBC |access-date= 1 May 2012}}{{cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/thousands-march-against-economic-gloom-spain-uk-201911721--business.html |title=Thousands march against economic gloom in Spain, UK – Yahoo!! News |publisher=Yahoo! News |access-date= 1 May 2012}} In Spain, at least 100,000 were estimated to have marched against the austerity measures.[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304070304577400872115209702 At Least 100,000 March in Spain Over Austerity] 12 May 2012

{{Main|2012 Asturian miners' strike}}

In late May, a physical altercation between protestors and the police, involving more than 8,000 coal miners, involved demonstrations on a march to the federal capital, Madrid.{{cite web|last=Moloney|first=Mark|date=11 June 2012|title=8,000 Spanish miners strike against cuts|url=http://www.anphoblacht.com/contents/21946|access-date=14 June 2012|work=An Phoblacht}} The demonstrators concerns stemmed from a diminishing coal industry in Spain. Between 1990 and 2015 coal extraction in Spain dropped by 76.5 percent and the number of workers employed in the industry declined by 85.7 percent.{{sfn|Herrero|Lemkow|2015|p=219}} On 15 June, clashes were reported by the Ministry of the Interior to have resulted in seven injuries, two of them serious, comprising four police officers and three journalists.{{cite web|date=15 June 2012|title=7 injured as Spanish miners clash with police|url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/7-injured-as-spanish-miners-clash-with-police/|access-date=16 June 2012|work=Fox News}}

Marinaleda Mayor Juan Manuel Sánchez Gordillo led protests started by labor union SAT (Sindicato Andaluz de Trabajadores, "Andalusian Union of Workers") to get the federal government, led by Mariano Rajoy, to end austerity measures that involved budget cuts and layoffs of public sector workers.{{cite news | url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/08/2012826123315394135.html | title=Spanish mayor begins anti-austerity campaign | newspaper=Aljazeera}} The labor unions stole food from several supermarkets to feed jobless people and to ignite controversy, earning Gordillo the nickname of "Robin Hood." The goal of these actions was to stress that the attention was currently on the Spanish risk premium, debt and deficit instead of on the hunger of the middle and lower classes.{{cite news | url=http://elpais.com/elpais/2012/08/08/inenglish/1344452592_268519.html | title=Robin Hood mayor promises more supermarket food raids | newspaper=El Pais |date=8 August 2012}}

As of 25 September, an action to surround the Spanish Congress took place in Madrid.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2012/09/26/161796980/police-fire-rubber-bullets-at-spanish-protesters|title=Police Fire Rubber Bullets at Spanish Protesters|date=26 September 2012|work=NPR.org}} The protest became violent with armed police dispersing the crowd across the Plaza de Neptuno.{{Cite news|date=2012-09-25|title=Madrid anti-austerity protests - in pictures|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2012/sep/25/spain-debt-crisis-protesters|access-date=2020-06-14|issn=0261-3077}}

On 31 January 2015, the protestors joined, in central Madrid, the Podemos political party, then an insurgent force within the movement.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/31/podemos-spain-austerity-rally-madrid-syriza|title=100,000 flock to Madrid for Podemos rally against austerity|author=Ashifa Kassam|work=The Guardian|date=31 January 2015}} Podemos' anti-corruption platform and its singularity in "threatening to bring an end to the [two-party] political system that has governed Spain since the death of general Francisco Franco in 1975" brought Podemos to the top of opinion polls in 2014 in anticipation of "a year packed with municipal, regional, and general elections". The new party won 1.2 million votes and five seats in May's European elections.

In Spain, nearly 25% of people were unemployed and evictions had reached a rate of as high as 500 per day among a wide variety of other economic issues, leading to a number of generally peaceful protests seeking change in the way the government handles them.Belen Fernandez, [http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/04/outlawing-public-opinion-spain-150410082431492.html “Outlawing public opinion in Spain”] AlJazeera, 11 April 2015, accessed 22 May 2015. In addition to forming the foundation of Podemos,Miguel-Anxo Murado, [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/11/podemos-corruption-spain-ciudadanos “What has gone wrong for Podemos”] The Guardian, 11 March 2015, accessed 22 May 2015. these protests have elicited multiple attempts by the government to silence them culminating in what many see as "something out of the generalissimo's handbook".Belen Fernandez, [http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/04/outlawing-public-opinion-spain-150410082431492.html “Outlawing public opinion in Spain.”] The measures the law takes to silence the voices of the Spanish people are devastating, including steep fines or jail time for disrespecting police officers (€600),{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/04/outlawing-public-opinion-spain-150410082431492.html|title=Outlawing public opinion in Spain|work=aljazeera.com}} taking and sharing images of state security forces that might endanger them or their operations" (€30,000), protesting in front of government buildings, protesting at a time or location not approved by the police (€600,000),Belen Fernandez, [http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/04/spain-rightward-plunge-201441710577753299.html “Spain's Rightward Plunge,”] AlJazeera, 22 April 2014, accessed 22 May 2015. or even using a hashtag in a tweet publicizing an event that breaks the rules in any way.[http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/listeningpost/2015/04/impact-spain-gag-law-150421131120497.html “The impact of Spain's ‘gag law’”] AlJazeera, 21 April 2015, accessed 22 May 2015. Internet activity alone can result in up to five years behind bars.Belen Fernandez, [http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/04/outlawing-public-opinion-spain-150410082431492.html “Outlawing public opinion in Spain."] The law also extends to even more restrictive and vague measures, such as "playing games or sports in public spaces that are not designed for such activity" (€1,000),Belen Fernandez, [http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/04/spain-rightward-plunge-201441710577753299.html “Spain's Rightward Plunge.”] "projecting 'luminous devices' (e.g. lasers) in the vicinity of public transport in a way that 'might cause accidents{{'"}} (€600,000),{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/04/spain-rightward-plunge-201441710577753299.html|title=Spain's rightward plunge|author=Belen Fernandez|work=aljazeera.com}} insulting the state or "participating in the disruption of citizens' security while using hoods, helmets, or any other article of clothing or object that covers the face, rendering identification difficult or impossible" (€30,000), and "failure to cooperate with law enforcement during crime investigations or in the prevention of acts that might put citizens' security at risk" (€30,000). Acts of terrorism under the act include clauses as loosely defined as "the commission of any serious crime against...liberty".

According to Spain's interior minister, Jorge Fernández Diaz, "It's a law for the 21st Century. It provides better guarantees for people's security and more judicial security for people's rights".Belen Fernandez, [http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/04/outlawing-public-opinion-spain-150410082431492.html "Outlawing public opinion in Spain."] What is allegedly an act against terrorism "to guarantee a freer and more peaceful coexistence for all Spaniards...eradicating violence", ironically quite seriously threatens this ideal by making police and federal security personnel (who are often responsible for committing this type of violence) significantly less accountable, while expanding the role of private security forces "lacking both proper training and the proper level of public accountability" (assuming that normal police forces do indeed possess these qualities). Another problem with this policy is that it is fundamentally anti-immigrant in nature, crippling the group targeted most severely by austerity measures even more by forcing everyone to present identity documents at internet cafés, prohibitively complicating undocumented migrants' communications outside the country. The law also contains a provision validating and formalizing the process of expulsion for Moroccans who jump the border fence into Spain's African outposts of Ceuta and Melilla, which according to the International Federation for Human Rights "restrict[s] the right to seek asylum and violate[s] the principle of non-refoulement and the prohibition of collective expulsions" as well as "[exposing] migrants to a serious risk of torture and ill-treatment by denying them the possibility of filing a claim against law enforcement personnel in case of abuse".

The anti-austerity movement in Spain was fundamentally rooted in resistance to Spain's unopposed right-wing government led by the People's Party. The Citizens Security Law (dubbed the "gag law") that had recently been passed, viewed by protestors as a restriction of civil liberties comparable to the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, was designed to quell this opposition. In response, the Spanish people subverted these measures by protesting via holograms instead, avoiding arrest and setting an incredibly unique precedent across the world.

The day before a closely watched Andalusian parliamentary election, 2015, thousands of people took part in a "march for dignity" in Madrid on Saturday 21 March 2015 to protest against austerity measures.{{cite news

| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/22/protesters-march-against-austerity-measures-in-madrid

| title=Protesters march against austerity measures in Madrid

| work=The Guardian

| date=2015-03-21

| access-date=2015-04-14 }}

These gatherings have been fundamental in shaping the narrative of Spanish politics both in the media and in policy over the last few years.[http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/listeningpost/2015/04/impact-spain-gag-law-150421131120497.html “The impact of Spain's ‘gag law’”] AlJazeera. In response to this restriction, Spanish citizens launched a protest that questioned not only the People's Party but how the internet and digital media have changed the way the world changes. On 11 April 2015, Instead of marching in front of government buildings in person, they created recordings of themselves marching and projected them as holograms instead.Jethro Mullen, [http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/12/europe/spain-hologram-protest/# “Virtual Protest: Demonstrators challenge new law with holograms.”] The project was largely crowdsourced, reaching out to individuals across the internet to add their face and voice to the mass, collapsing digital space to physical space in defiance. This type of subversion creates new modes of action that promise some higher degree of equality by enabling the creation of an entirely new type of space where individuals can freely enact the rights they are fighting for.

File:Partido X, Partido del Futuro Rueda de prensa de presentación.webm, formed after the protests (in Spanish)El Pais;[http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2013/01/07/actualidad/1357586962_260864.html « Seguidores del 15-M y la cultura libre en Internet ponen en marcha el Partido X]]]

The main political parties issued statements on 16 May 2011, following debate. On 15 May, the day of the first demonstration, almost every party was willing to be quoted on the situation.Ríos, Sara, de 20minutos; [http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/1051617/0/reacciones/partidos/manifestaciones/ La mayoría de partidos miran para el otro lado y evitan pronunciarse sobre las protestas], 16 May 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2011. Jaime Mayor Oreja, Member of the European Parliament representing the Partido Popular, was critical of the alleged intention of activists to not cast ballots in the coming election. So was Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) member and Minister of Public Works and Transport José Blanco.{{cite web|url=http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/espana/2011/05/16/00031305564962696760777.htm |title="Democracia real ya" hace reaccionar a los dos principales partidos |work=La Voz de Galicia |date=16 May 2011 |access-date=22 May 2011}} United Left had a positive view of the activists' demands. The United Left's political coordinator Cayo Lara defended the refusal of the activists to become a "lost generation" and criticized their removal from the Puerta del Sol on 16 May.La Voz de Galicia; [http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/portada/2011/05/17/00031305656501088227314.htm "Cayo Lara: «Zapatero ha traído más beneficios para los amos y la porra para los de abajo»"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522091027/http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/portada/2011/05/17/00031305656501088227314.htm |date=22 May 2011 }}, 17 May 2011 (consultado el mismo día). Other politicians, such as PSOE's José Antonio Griñán, showed sympathy for the movement while insisting that abstaining from voting was not a solution. Esteban González Pons, general vicesecretary of the Partido Popular, linked the demonstrations to the "antisystem far left".{{cite web|url=http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/1052657/0/pons/democraciareal/extrema-izquierda/ |title=González Pons vincula a parte de 'Democracia Real Ya' con la "extrema izquierda del PSOE"|publisher=20minutos.es |date=17 May 2011 |access-date=22 May 2011}}

Former prime minister Felipe González compared the movement, which he considered "an extraordinarily important phenomenon," with the Arab Spring,Ideal.es; [http://www.ideal.es/granada/rc/20110518/espana/felipe-gonzalez-compara-indignados-201105180256.html Felipe González compara a los 'indignados' con los protagonistas de las revueltas árabes] 18 May 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011. saying "in the Arab world they are demanding the right to vote while here they are saying that voting is pointless."Ideal.es; [http://www.publico.es/espana/376885/felipe-gonzalez-sobre-los-indignados-estan-hartos-los-partidos-no-deberian-descalificarlos-elecciones2011 Felipe González, sobre los 'indignados': "Están hartos, los partidos no deberían descalificarlos"] 17 May 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2011.

On 25 July 2011, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz participated at the "I Foro Social del 15M" organized in Madrid expressing his support for the movement.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2iKj-1v2Cc|title=Joseph Stiglitz apoya el movimiento 15-M|website=YouTube|access-date=26 July 2011}} During an informal speech, he made a brief review of some of the problems in the United States and Europe, including the high unemployment rate and the situation in Greece. "This is an opportunity for economic contribution social measures," argued Stiglitz. He encouraged those present to respond to the "bad ideas" not with indifference, but with "good ideas." "This does not work, you have to change it," he said. On 15 September 2012, Stiglitz said "accepting the bailout would be suicidal" for the country.{{cite news | url=http://elpais.com/economia/2012/09/15/agencias/1347698484_169769.html | title=Stiglitz advierte de que pedir el rescate podría ser un suicidio para España | newspaper=El Pais }}{{cite news | url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/10/joseph-stiglitz-spain-bank-bailout-euro-reforms_n_1585399.html | title=Joseph Stiglitz: Spain Bank Bailout 'Not Going To Work' | newspaper=Huffington Post }}

In 2016 and 2017, citizens involved in the 15M movement together with the City Council of Barcelona developed a combined online and offline project called Decidim, that self-describes as a "technopolitical network for participatory democracy", with the aim of implementing the hopes of participatory democracy raised by the movement.{{cite Q|Q128012134|url-status=live}} The project combines a free and open-source software (FOSS) software package together with a participatory political project and an organising community, "Metadecidim".{{cite Q|Q128009236|url-status=live}} Decidim participants describe the software, political and organising components as "technical", "political" and "technopolitical" levels, respectively.{{cite Q|Q128009986|url-status=live}}

{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}

• 15 October 2011 global protests
• 2009 Iranian presidential election protests
• 2011 Chilean protests
• 2011 Israeli social justice protests
• 2013 Bulgarian protests
• Anti-austerity movement in Greece
• Anti-austerity protests in Ireland
• Anti-austerity protests in Portugal
• Anti-austerity movement in the United Kingdom
• Real democracy NOW ({{langx|es|link=no|Democracia real YA}})
• 2012 European general strike
• Kitchenware Revolution (Iceland)
• Labor movement in Spain
• Occupy movement
• Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca
• Protests of 1968
• React
• Spanish Teen Rally (Estudiar en primavera)
• Time for Outrage!
• List of protests in the 21st century

{{div col end}}{{Portal bar|Society|Politics|Business and economics|Technology|6=Spain}}

{{reflist|30em}}

• {{cite journal|first1=Amaranta|last1=Herrero|first2=Louis|last2=Lemkow|title=Environmentally Blind Discourses on Coal Extraction and the Idealization of the Miner in Spain|journal=Capitalism Nature Socialism|volume=26|issue=4|year=2015|pages=215–235|doi=10.1080/10455752.2015.1054849|s2cid=147501176}}

{{Commons category|2011-2012 Spanish protests}}* [http://15mpedia.org 15Mpedia], an encyclopedia about the movement {{in lang|es}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110520210745/http://www.democraciarealya.es/ ¡Democracia real Ya! Official Web]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110521071408/http://tomalaplaza.net/ Toma la plaza.net]
• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110523230326/http://takethesquare.net/ takethesquare.net]}}
• Spanish Revolution collection at Internet Archive
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110521014328/http://www.soltv.tv/ SolTV] (live streaming)
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20111125191824/http://es.scribd.com/doc/57091274/Democracia-Real-YA-El-19-de-Junio-Volvemos-a-Tomar-Las-Calles Brochure protests convened on 19 June]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110916212406/http://www.kaosenlared.net/noticia/video-reportaje-inside-15m-48h-ls-indignads "Inside 15m: 48h with the indignants"] is a documentary (English subtitles) about the Spanish protests made by the people's assemblies of Madrid.
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20130425075421/http://www.crimethinc.com/texts/recentfeatures/barc.php Timeline, political analysis, and eyewitness reportage] of the Spanish protests on crimethinc
• [http://www.booksandideas.net/Republican-Reflections-on-the-15-M.html Republican Reflections on the 15-M movement] by Philip Pettit
• 15M: "Excellent. A Wake-up call. Important" Written and directed by: Stéphane M. Grueso, Documental, CC BY-SA
• [http://estudiarenprimavera.wordpress.com/ Documentary "SPANISH TEEN RALLY (Estudiar en primavera)"]
• Peña-López, I., Congosto, M. & Aragón, P. (2014). "[http://ictlogy.net/bibliography/reports/projects.php?idp=2598 Spanish Indignados and the evolution of the 15M movement on Twitter: towards networked para-institutions]".
• Ramírez-Blanco, J. (2021). [https://www.alianzaeditorial.es/libro/libros-singulares-ls/15-m-julia-ramirez-blanco-9788413622675/ 15M. El tiempo de las plazas.] Alianza 2021. A book on the movement.

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