This article that was released today is particularly interesting to me because I actually saw everything pan out. At first, I didn’t know what was going on but I made sure that I looked up some of the facts once I got back to my apartment. Regardless, I saw the protest first hand and can safely say that this protest was being taken very seriously by the local police forces.
The article addresses the recent demonstration that was held at the corner of Carrer de Pelai and La Ramblas. A group of young protestors stood out in front of a clothing store to protest the recent sentencing of a “squatter,” Alfonso Hermoso Castillo, who had been handed three years in prison for allegedly beating a Catalan police officer with an “okupa” back in May 2007. Essentially, the individuals were saying this was an extremely harsh sentence for someone who had done nothing more than “defending himself from aggression.” To truly voice their frustration, two individuals from the protestors chained themselves to a barrel that had been filled with concrete. Furthermore, the barrel had been placed in the middle of the street - thus causing quite a ruckus to the local traffic (one of the busiest streets in the city). The chained men then proceeded to sit down in the middle of the street while they were screaming “Free Alfonso” chants. Needless to say, the police were forced to come in and cut the men free from the concrete barrel in order to free up traffic.
This event is another indication of how passionately the local populace feels about certain situations and how willing they are to express their opinion. Although a similar demonstration may have taken place in America, I doubt anybody would have chained themselves to a barrel. However, the most interesting/important thing that this protest touches upon is the fact that traditional/past feelings about the police may still have their place within the minds of the Catalan people. It should be remembered that the police forces were entities that had been imposed/installed by Madrid. Many individuals felt that these forces (Mosso d'Esquadra, Guardia Urbana, etc.) were nothing more organizations that were set up to suppress the Catalan people/nationalist uprisings/etc. As such, these organizations serve nothing more than representations of the repression of the centralized Madrid government and have done nothing but anger many people in the past. With that being the case, the outrage/resent from today’s protest can possibly be stretched to be a protest against Madrid as well. Although I highly doubt that this reality/theory (to protest against Madrid – i.e. was a protest for Catalan independence/etc.) played any role in today’s protest, it is still an interesting thought nonetheless. Furthermore, the protest highlights the ever present “balance” between police authority and people’s rights. This battle is one that has little chance of slowing down and will likely be raged until the end of time. For whatever reason, people really get pissed off when their rights are violated by the authoritative powers…
The article addresses the recent demonstration that was held at the corner of Carrer de Pelai and La Ramblas. A group of young protestors stood out in front of a clothing store to protest the recent sentencing of a “squatter,” Alfonso Hermoso Castillo, who had been handed three years in prison for allegedly beating a Catalan police officer with an “okupa” back in May 2007. Essentially, the individuals were saying this was an extremely harsh sentence for someone who had done nothing more than “defending himself from aggression.” To truly voice their frustration, two individuals from the protestors chained themselves to a barrel that had been filled with concrete. Furthermore, the barrel had been placed in the middle of the street - thus causing quite a ruckus to the local traffic (one of the busiest streets in the city). The chained men then proceeded to sit down in the middle of the street while they were screaming “Free Alfonso” chants. Needless to say, the police were forced to come in and cut the men free from the concrete barrel in order to free up traffic.
This event is another indication of how passionately the local populace feels about certain situations and how willing they are to express their opinion. Although a similar demonstration may have taken place in America, I doubt anybody would have chained themselves to a barrel. However, the most interesting/important thing that this protest touches upon is the fact that traditional/past feelings about the police may still have their place within the minds of the Catalan people. It should be remembered that the police forces were entities that had been imposed/installed by Madrid. Many individuals felt that these forces (Mosso d'Esquadra, Guardia Urbana, etc.) were nothing more organizations that were set up to suppress the Catalan people/nationalist uprisings/etc. As such, these organizations serve nothing more than representations of the repression of the centralized Madrid government and have done nothing but anger many people in the past. With that being the case, the outrage/resent from today’s protest can possibly be stretched to be a protest against Madrid as well. Although I highly doubt that this reality/theory (to protest against Madrid – i.e. was a protest for Catalan independence/etc.) played any role in today’s protest, it is still an interesting thought nonetheless. Furthermore, the protest highlights the ever present “balance” between police authority and people’s rights. This battle is one that has little chance of slowing down and will likely be raged until the end of time. For whatever reason, people really get pissed off when their rights are violated by the authoritative powers…
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