las manifestaciones

In the past two days, I´ve walked around quite a lot, trying to get my bearings in Madrid. I´ve encountered masses congregated all over the city. I have not seen any police brutality on any of these occasions, but others have and I´ve watched it covered by the Spanish noticias. Mainly, I see people linked together, mano a mano, walking down the calles chanting about the need for democratic process, social justice, worker´s rights, etc. They gather to literally fill up the streets downtown. Police book mark the protests, leading rioters and following closely behind, at a snail´s pace, in vans and walking  (street cleaners follow just behind the police..soon, the only sign of protestors becomes the distant chanting down the road). They don´t prevent the parades of people from marching along..and it doesn´t matter where you go in the center of Madrid, if you wait a while, soon a group of these protestors will come along. I enjoy seeing the signs they carry and hearing their words..I see that many of these people are my age and it seems unfair that I´m to have this job while so many don´t and while social services are being cut and while taxes are going up. Que loca!

This morning, the tv in the commons area of the hostel where I´m staying played news coverage of the riot scenes from yesterday. An American gent commented,¨If I could, I´d change it to ESPN in a flash.¨ Why travel to Spain?