They only passed (only) 40 days, but September 22 is very different from Spain’s November 2. And not just because the country is still digesting the Urda tragedy. Since the media evacuation of Maricarmen on September 23, Puerta del Sol has experienced a whirlwind marked by the rebirth of the spirit of 15M with campers, the negotiation of four decrees on housing (already two wrong), an electoral breakthrough, a call for a general strike and a wave of mobilization that manifested itself both in ‘pro-housing’ camps in 27 cities and in the controversial blocus call.
In this context, most Soul Campers (the protagonists of last month’s political events) decided to change their tactics and withdraw from the square.
What happened? A good portion of the Puerta del Sol campers decided to launch the page. In a statement published on Saturday by Europa Press, the ‘Acampada 26S’ reveals that since the end of September most of the commissions organizing and coordinating the movement have taken two decisions: to dissolve and leave the settlement to move their activities “to the neighborhood”. The idea is to move on to the next chapter and consolidate itself as a social movement that is already clear on what its next objective will be. As things progress, they will now focus on preparing for the 9/11 strike.
What exactly did they say? “From Acampada 26S we started the so-called ‘location’ in the neighborhood to transform it into a social and working class movement, understood as the ’26S Movement’, thus ending our activity in Puerta del Sol,” he explains. Aware of the electoral events at the end of the month, in the same statement he advanced the decision to maintain his activity “whoever leaves and who remains in the Congress of Deputies after the election of 29N.” Earlier, he insisted that he would focus on organizing a general strike, “an end in itself.”
“We bid farewell to this phase filled with learning and the certainty that collective processes do not necessarily end when their host location changes. The camping trip has been a starting point,” Satta emphasizes.
The ‘Acampada 26S’ website details a list of 27 Spanish cities where settlements have been built that emulate the example of Puerta del Sol. The trigger for the movement is also in the capital: it happened on September 23 with the eviction of Marycarmen, an octogenarian, who was forced to leave the apartment she had lived in since 1956 because of an old rental agreement. Shortly after the judicial launch, on October 7, he died in a hospital.
Farewell to the tent? no The 26S Commission itself admits that, although they “developed a detailed demolition protocol in stages”, it was not possible to remove the Soul Tent “as they would have liked.” The reasons? Statements do not delve into them. He talks about “different situations”. And it indicates a branch of the movement. The note confirms that a group called the ‘Homeless People’s Association’ has emerged within the camp with which it marks its distance. Indeed, he asserts that it has “its own organization and horizon.”
What else do they say? If it is not clear, the commissions insist that ‘Acampada 26S’ has finished its activity in Sol. Then, what is the new association? homeless It will be the responsibility of the “own institution”, which operates “autonomously and independently”. The same statement emphasized that there is no “representational relationship” or “coordination” between the two organizations. They are not the only ones who will be in Sol. saturday the country He noted that, in addition to the homeless, members of several key commissions, such as the Communications Commission, remain in the square.
How many are there? According to ABCAccording to someone who claims to have spoken to “a spokesperson for the protest,” there are about fifty homeless people who have taken over from Soul Campers. The newspaper notes that they are mainly men who have helped set up tents and pergolas so far. Added to them are part of the original campers who decided to stay in Sol. Beyond the different strategies that each pursues, the reality is that there is a constraint that conditions the future of settlement.
Government delegations have already twice addressed campers in the center of Madrid to prevent them from staying there permanently. The first contact reached last Monday and said that the “protest objective” of the concentration was already “properly developed”, so “it may be legitimate to end it”. The second letter arrived on Thursday and is much more emphatic. It urges Soul Campers to “take necessary measures to proceed as soon as possible to dismantle the facilities.”
Are there more reasons? yes The context is broader. The reality is that as the weeks progressed, the Soul Camp became a source of conflict between the Government Delegation (PSOE) and the Madrid authorities (PP), who asked to take action in the face of protests. In its first letter, the delegation itself admitted that after a month the association was “transitional”, from temporary to “permanent”. Added to this political background is the attrition among the campers themselves, the changing political landscape and the tensions arising from the call of the Blokus network.
What is balance? One thing or the other does not stop the campers from claiming what they have achieved since September 26. In their statement they boasted of having “changed the structure of the story” around housing and early elections and processing four express decrees on the housing market in record time, although the scope of these regulations in practice is questionable.
The first two decrees fell to Congress (which 29N rejected) and of the two approved by the Cabinet in early October, only one (the least controversial and ambitious) has any sign of proceeding to a permanent deputation to Congress on 12 November. If the polls on voting intentions are correct, it will come into effect shortly before the change of government
Picture | Eneko Torres Peco (Wikipedia) and Franklin Vasquez Soliz (Wikipedia)
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