In a country full of abandoned buildings, empty flats and head offices in ruins due to lack of use, the authorities throw people out of their homes and collectives out of their projects. They are dogs in the manger which neither eat nor let others eat and sometimes don’t even allow a dying tree to be watered. It is hunger that surrounds them, not a whim; hunger for a roof over one’s head, hunger to be part of a community, hunger for daily food.
The sites of Diagonal, Kaosenlared, Arainfo, La Directa, Ràdio Klara, Periodismo Humano e Infolibre, amongst others, are being affected by a series of cyber attacks.
Since October 12th, the websites of different left-wing media and social organisations have suffered cybernetic attacks preventing them from being publicly viewable. The attacks started at 00 hrs of the ‘Spanish national day’ and have been claimed by extreme right-wing groups.
by Steve Horn
Like in Spain, the megaphone is loud within U.S. elite circles to ram through austerity measures.
Photo: Steve Rhodes
Mari Otxandi
Translated by Rob Dyas
Marin Ledun was made redundant from his job as an investigator at France Telecom. He has written the book Perros de Porcelana (Porcelain Dogs) about his time at the company. We talk to him about the modern workplace and its connection to our lives.
Translated by Esther Ortiz Vázquez & Juan Martin Rodriguez
A corrala is a residential building originally typical to several cities in Spain. The small dwellings are constructed in blocks around an internal communal patio area where much of the community life takes place. In this article the corralas being referred to are those that have been occupied by rehomed families who are no longer able to pay rent and are at risk of homelessness (an initiative assisted by the 15M movement).
The families of "Freedom Corrala", in Seville, will now be associates in a housing cooperative to which the entire building rented.
By Editorial Andalucía, Hazeina Rodríguez / Translation: Rob Dyas & Susana Macías Pascua
By Richard Crowbar / Translated by Rob Dyas and Susana Macías Pascua
The recovery of abandoned buildings to be used as social centres soars in Madrid. We talk to some of the activists of these new “free centres”.
Casablanca social centre / Photo: Olmo Calvo.
After the occupation of the Puerta del Sol during June 2011 and the initiatives of the 15M movement focused in the neighbourhoods, the occupation of abandoned buildings to be used as headquarters for social initiatives has soared in Madrid. Despite the continuous evictions, the number of “social buildings” has increased during this time from 10 to 18.
By Richard Crowbar / Translated by Juan Martín Rodríguez and Rob Dyas.
The recovery of abandoned buildings to be used as social centres soars in Madrid. We talk with some of the activists of these new “free centres”.
After the occupation of the Puerta del Sol during June 2011 and the initiatives of the 15M movement focused in the neighbourhoods, the occupation of abandoned buildings to be used as headquarters of social initiatives soars in Madrid. Despite the continuous evictions, the number of “social buildings” increased from 10 to 18.
By Belén Gopegui / Translated by Christine Lewis Carroll
There’s a demo at six pm. It looks like rain, you’re cold, you already went to Thursday’s demo and the ones before that. And what if you don’t go? On the screens you see the world continues, different people talk about what they’re doing; they remind you of the demo but they too carry on with their activity because it’s not easy to balance times, places and plans. If you don’t go, others will go for you and on other occasions you will go for them; the children need to be picked up, work needs to be finished, it’s windy. There are too many fronts to cover, too many days out on the street, but instead of thinking “And what if you don’t go?” you ask yourself “What if the others don’t go? What if nobody goes?” Something stronger than sadness hits you just at the thought of it.
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DIAGONAL is a grassroots communication project based in Madrid. We print a biweekly newspaper and run this website with daily updates. We only accept adds from social collectives (cooperatives, non-profit or kindred associations) and exist thanks to a large base of suscriptors that collaborate with us. If you would like to help with translations or editorial suggestions, please contact english [at] diagonalperiodico.net.