Spanish Revolution: Call to Occupy empty Bank property

15M, 25s, bankia, Madrid, Spanish Revolution, unity

Occupy Reality!

In #globalrevolution, Sol on 28 October 2012 at 14:44

Acampada Bankia Madrid   October 28Dear people,

It has been one and a half year, and let’s face it, almost all that our movement has been able to produce are assemblies and demonstrations. I’m getting tired of those. My head starts spinning if I think of all the millions and millions of man-hours spent in talking and listening to other people’s bull shit without any practical result at all.

What’s worse is that the whole concept of assemblies has been steadily deteriorating over time, instead of evolving into something more constructive. By now, assemblies are open microphones with nobody really caring to create an orden del día or to take notes.

So people take the mic and shout their ideas. “Let’s call for an indefinite general strike!”. Applause. “Let’s all stop drinking Coca-Cola!”. Applause. “Let’s all go home, because it’s cold!”. “Excellent idea!”

This is not revolution. This is nothing at all.

Let’s start to look around. Let’s admit that we are still playing ‘their game’. They are not afraid of us. They have no reason to. We have to change the game. We have to occupy reality. We have to learn.

Don’t get me wrong, but we have to learn from Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Greek fascists.

Why? Because they know how to build up popular support. They know how to build community spirit. They offer food to those who are hungry. They offer shelter to those who are homeless. They offer help to those who are unemployed. And they thrive. Mamma mia, they thrive!

The unforgivable mistake of these groups is that they actively create divisions and encourage hatred by selectively serving one kind of people on the basis of their ethnic origin. In this case the Greeks and the Palestinians.

We have to do better. We have to create unity. “If we do not treat our fellow human beings as brothers and sisters, then sooner or later, it will be war.”

War is playing ‘their game’. War can never be won.

So building unity must be the next level. We must create community spaces for the locals and the immigrants. We must set up community kitchens. We must share what we have. We must turn to local organic farmers. We must create our own industries, our own society. That will be playing ‘our own game’. That will be revolution. Direct democracy will not work if it doesn’t stem from a society in which everyone feels represented.

How can we build this society? We need spaces, covered spaces, especially because winter is coming. Fortunately, these spaces exist, and they are distributed over all Spanish cities and neighbourhoods. They are called ‘Caja Madrid’, and they belong to Bankia, which belongs to the people.

The offices, the headquarters, the franchises, and all the empty houses owned by Bankia are public space and can be legitimately occupied. They can be used to house evicted people, they can be used for assemblies and working groups, they can be used for community kitchens, theatre, etc.

Publicly owned Bankia keeps evicting citizens every day. It’s time for the citizens to take what’s theirs, and to evict Bankia’s management from all the public property they are illegally occupying.

If we really want to make revolution, then let’s stop talking about it in endless assemblies, and let’s get it done.

Related articles

• Spain pumps billions into Bankia (radionz.co.nz)
• Bankia occupied after Debt Suicides (thefreeonline.wordpress.com)