Madrid, Anti-Capitalists protest against the WEF in Davos and new Spanish Immigration Laws. 5000-7000 protestors in the streets. White monkeys are there. large focus on new facist immigration laws in spain.

Madrid, Spain. January 27th, 2001.

...it´s late at night so i´m just writing this off the top of my head....

Today in Madrid centre a large manifestion of about 5-7000 people took place to coincide with the anti-capitalist demonstrations against the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. While many people elected to take the free trains from Barcelona and participate in the chaos in switzerland many people were on hand here in madrid.

Organized by the MRG (movimiento resistencia de globalizacion)-Madrid (a loose but organized coalition of groups and individuals in the area, but autonomous from MRG´s in other spanish cities), the demonstraion/march/fiesta was aimed to show solidarity with anti-capitalist protestors around the world and in Davos who were speaking out against capitalist globalization; to manifest our voices and show the growth of the anti-capitalist globalization movement; and to show solidarity with immigrants and refugees around the world who are being faced with increasingly facist laws.

While the free trade forces are breaking down borders for investment and cash, they are lobbying to increase the harshness of immigration policies, hoping to keep a tight reign on the poorer sections of the world it is screwing over. In the European Community, Spain, being close to Morrocco, is one country that has been increasing it´s draw of immigrants from the ever enlarging pool of displaced peoples throughout the world. This past week, new laws have been passed giving authorities the power to eject within 24 hours any suspected immigrants found without papers. The left in Spain has fought against these facist laws, and this week there have been numerous occupations of buildings throughout spain by immigrants who will not stand for the new laws.

In fact, the overwhelming theme of todays march was against these new immigration laws and the opening up of borders for profit while closing them to people. Throughout the two and a half hour march, continuous chants of ´Niguna ser humano, es ilegal!´(No humans are illegal) were heard and at one point a building was scaled by some ´white monkeys´ to hang a banner with the same theme. A manifesto was read out in support of the immigrants fighting against these laws and another manifesto by a group of immigrants who had just occupied some building.

The march itself went something like this. At 6:30 people began to arrive at Ciebles downtown. Many police were on hand in riot gear with close to 50 police vans. This demo had a permit as well, despite the police harrassment. As people walked out of the metro station they were harrassed by the police, bags checked, and people told all kinds of things from..´the manifestacion is on the other side of the street´ to ´could you please move over a foot as you´re not allowed to stand here. thank you, i´m just doing my job´. Why is it that police the world over, when at a protest, have to find some line or geographical feature to fixate on and repeatedly tell people to move away from it. Does it really matter if someone walks on that part of the sidewalk, or steps on that grass, especially when the boundries will change within the hour. Anyway, getting on with the story.

After about an hour when enough people had ammassed (conservative estimate at about 5000), the music system/truck began to move out onto the road but stopped and suddenly there was a rush of people running. The police had just detained about 70 white monkey activists (people dressed in white overalls with, helmets, balloons, and other interesting protective gear) and were refusing to let them go. The truck refused to go, as did the rest of the 5000 gathered, and soon the white monkeys were returned. The march proceed from Ciebles to Callao (one major street downtown Madrid) with music pumping and chants going. such as the ever popular (and all too true) ´Policia! Assesina!´ (police are killers).

Half way there, the white monkeys surrounded a large construction scaffolding along the side of the road and three of them climbed about 15 stories to the top where they hung a giant banner against cpaitalism and the toughening of immigration laws, over an advertisment. Again, riot police moved in, but with the white monkeys surrounding the scaffolding with their arms held high in the air, video cameras all around, and the crowd surging in, the police were soon surrounded and hightailed it out of there.

After the successful banner hanging, the march continued with people mostly dancing in the street, chanting slogans, and sticking large stickers over banks and other buildings we passed. The stickers read things like ....´Closed: Due to the malfunctioning of capitalism. Suffer the consequences.´etc.

At the final destination, the party continued for another hour or so and grew into a larger fiesta as it was at a main plaza in the busy shopping district of downtown. A few people spoke to the crowd about what was taking palce in Davos and the WEF, and about the new immigration laws, and of course a few good rants against capitalism for all the passer bys. Even after the organizers left with the music, many of the people stayed on and continued to party in the streets.

anyway....i´ll leave it at that. for more information check out the following sites:

http://nodo50.org/mrg/mani.htm
http://nodo50.org/racismo/home.htm
http://davos.indymedia.org/
http://www.sindominio.net/ninguna/