Protests centered in Catalunya plaza, the heart of Barcelona, took action today to try to block banks from foreclosing on four families and sent a "funeral" procession through the streets to push back against government austerity measures.
That's the first straight-news lede I've written for awhile, and it felt thrilling to be in the midst of the action again.
Parents, have no fear. The protests were relatively small and orderly. And they were some distance from where we live and have classes.
But it was exciting to see democracy in action, however messy. Spain is suffering through 25 percent unemployment. I've been told that it reaches 50 percent among the young. And when the only light you can see on the horizon is more cuts to education and social programs -- well, you can't blame the Spaniards for feeling a bit like their world has gone mad.
I interviewed an English-speaking medical student about the economic situation and its effect on her and her friends. She said she's lucky, for her parents can afford to pay her medical school tuition bill, which is nearly doubling this fall. But many of her classmates have had to drop out of college because they no longer get financial aid or loans.
The economic woes have meant a cut in health services, too, so that people wait longer to get health care. They have also meant that banks send unemployed people out of homes when they cannot pay their mortgages (Spain had a huge housing bubble) and yet demand full payment. The person I interviewed said other protesters were planning an "action" to keep banks from evicting four families from their homes.
Spain's economic problems are far more complex than can be described here, of course, and they defy easy solutions, no matter what the signs in the square say. Still, I can't blame a young Spaniard for feeling like banks get favored treatment while a college education suddenly is out of reach for a new generation. No country can cut its way to prosperity.
See pictures for more.
That's the first straight-news lede I've written for awhile, and it felt thrilling to be in the midst of the action again.
Parents, have no fear. The protests were relatively small and orderly. And they were some distance from where we live and have classes.
But it was exciting to see democracy in action, however messy. Spain is suffering through 25 percent unemployment. I've been told that it reaches 50 percent among the young. And when the only light you can see on the horizon is more cuts to education and social programs -- well, you can't blame the Spaniards for feeling a bit like their world has gone mad.
I interviewed an English-speaking medical student about the economic situation and its effect on her and her friends. She said she's lucky, for her parents can afford to pay her medical school tuition bill, which is nearly doubling this fall. But many of her classmates have had to drop out of college because they no longer get financial aid or loans.
The economic woes have meant a cut in health services, too, so that people wait longer to get health care. They have also meant that banks send unemployed people out of homes when they cannot pay their mortgages (Spain had a huge housing bubble) and yet demand full payment. The person I interviewed said other protesters were planning an "action" to keep banks from evicting four families from their homes.
Spain's economic problems are far more complex than can be described here, of course, and they defy easy solutions, no matter what the signs in the square say. Still, I can't blame a young Spaniard for feeling like banks get favored treatment while a college education suddenly is out of reach for a new generation. No country can cut its way to prosperity.
See pictures for more.
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