CA/Continuations/Discussion Group

<section begin=intro />The Anti-Austerity Discussion Group is a series of discussions about how people locally and around the world are resisting austerity and building strong coalitions to protect access to public services, education, and a basic social safety net. Our goals are to educate ourselves, strengthen our relationships, and develop a shared analysis of austerity and a shared orientation to strategies that work.<section end=intro />

Discussion Questions

Indignados Storm City Hall in Vinaròs, Spain
Entrada de la població vinarossenca a l'ajuntament de Vinaròs
¡Indignados! Los vecinos de Vinaròs asaltan el Ayuntamiento
Un grupo 'okupa' el Ayuntamiento de Jódar para exigir tierra y trabajo

European Austerity Crisis

We are looking at pushback against elite-imposed austerity in the countries listed below, either one country at a time, or in small groups of countries. We're starting with Spain:

• France
• Greece
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy
• Portugal
• Spain

Upcoming Study Group Event

Facebook Invite Page: Anti-Austerity Study Group
When: Saturday, August 11, 2012
Time: 10:00am
Where: 214 NE Thompson Street (map)
Topic: Anti-Austerity Movements in Spain.

Study Assignments

Spain

• Spain: Unprecedented protests against austerity cuts as the crisis deepens

As the Spanish government got its €65bn austerity package passed in Parliament, millions of people took to the streets in unprecedented demonstrations against cuts on July 19. The day after, as the Valencian regional government asked for a central government bail out (of 3.5bn euro), the risk premium on Spanish bonds hit a new record, while 10 year bonds were yielding 7.3%. The Spanish economy is on the verge of a full bail out.

• THE AWAKENING OF THE SQUARES (English subtitles)

This documentary examines the rise of the 15M movement, a year later from six people who lived in the Barcelona occupation of Catalonia Square. They meet again to discuss the beginning of the movement, what happened to the country this year and what role should the movement play in the future.

• Spanish workers on the march: Lee Sustar reports on Spain's economic crisis and a new resurgence of struggle.

A SWEEPING $80 billion austerity program pushed by Spain's right-wing Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has been met by a new surge of workers' resistance, with miners leading the way and public-sector workers joining the battle with street blockades in the capital city of Madrid.

• Millions on streets as Spain unites against austerity

Struggles converge as miners, firefighters, judges, public employees, the unemployed and even the army step up their resistance against EU-enforced cuts.

European Austerity Crisis

Lots of good material at the following resources:

• Reflections on a Revolution
• European sovereign-debt crisis (Wikipedia)

Previous Topics

Notes of previous discussions located here: Discussion Group Archive