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

• Middle-class family struggles in Spain’s crisis

The economic crisis has brought low the middle class, which emerged in the 1980s after decades of dictatorship and flourished during the construction boom of the 1990s.

• 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.

• 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.

• La Nostra Elecció: L’ Acció

"This rejection of representative democracy has to be understood as part of a growing popular skepticism that raises some of the most fundamental questions about the future of society. People everywhere are starting to share and propagate the idea that democracy is not about voting or about elections, but about ‘the people’ having real power over the decisions that determine whether they will have a place to live, the ability to feed their families, or a basic education. More importantly, this shift in meaning is being backed up with large-scale decentralized general assemblies that are building the inclusive structures necessary to enact these new forms of democracy."

Videos

• 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.

• They Do Not Represent Us: Barcelona 12M-15M

From May 12-May 15th, protesters throughout Spain marked the first anniversary of the 15M movement by re-taking the streets and squares of over 80 cities. The 15M movement inspired people all over the world to occupy their local squares, to self-organize general assemblies and to build networks of solidarity in the face of severe economic policy. This short documentary documents the 15M anniversary protests in Barcelona.

• Barcelona March 29th: General Strike

On March 29, 2012, millions of people across Spain went on strike. The strike, which was the first general strike since September 2010, brought the country to a near halt. The situation in Spain has grown increasingly difficult with 1 in 4 people out of work and many struggling to make rent or mortgage payments. This short film is about what happened in Barcelona on that day.

• Occupied Barcelona: The Spanish Election Rejection

In the midst of rising unemployment rates, extensive austerity measures and increased privatization, many Spanish people are losing faith in electoral politics.

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

Links & Info

• Global Uprisings!