I start this piece with two sections of the Spanish Constitution, enacted after 1978 referendum:
Section 16: (1) Freedom of ideology, religion and worship of individuals and communities is guaranteed, with no other restriction on their expression than may be necessary to maintain public order as protected by law.
Section 21: (1) The right to peaceful unarmed assembly is granted. The exercise of this right shall not require prior authorization.
This is what the law stipulates. However, the Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy publicly scorned the massive protests that took place in front of the Congress of Deputies – in Madrid- on September 25.
As a result of the protests in the so-called free, Western, developed country, there were around 40 detainees. These citizens were accused by the government of a crime against the highest institutions of the state. These accused could have been punished by between three and five years in prison. Finally and gladly the judge in charge, Santiago Pedraz, dismissed the accusations.
There was violence against the police carried out by small violent groups of demonstrators. Nevertheless, the reaction of the police was definitely excessive and, in some cases, brutal. There are videos all over the Internet showing undercover police provoking and confronting, and demonstrators being ferociously dispersed and attacked by the security forces. Some people – writers, politicians, citizens- believe these voracious protests are useless, a mere expression of utopian ideals created by the atmosphere of desperation and despair in the country. In addition to the widespread distrust, they claim, few clear minds emerge out of the angry crowd with specific solutions for the situation. They are probably right in the second point, we all agree on what we want: education, equity, a transparent government, a real democracy that safeguards the common good… But we do not know what are the ways to achieve these goals.
Perhaps the problems that plague Spain are not much worse than the problems in the rest of the world, especially these days. But, does this mean that we must accept what we have, lowering our heads, letting the storm pass while we blindly believe in our institutions and in the current system?
People have the right- and the duty- to giver their opinion, and of course, to protest. I personally defend the decision of all those who decided to protest peacefully for a better country and a dignified life.