BARCELONA - EU Summit protests
March 14-16th, 2002

Between 250,000 and 500,000 people took to the streets of Barcelona on Saturday 16 March to reject the Europe of the bosses, whose agents were meeting in the last day of the European Union summit. It was a fabulous feeling being on the streets of Barcelona with that many people all protesting against a capitalist Europe.

The police estimate was 250,000 and the march organisers (the Campaign Against the Europe of Capital and War) said that between 300,000 and 500,000 joined the protests. This makes it the biggest anti-capitalist demo in Europe, even bigger than the march in Genoa last July, the day after Carlo Giuliani was murdered by the police. It proves that the anti-capitalist movement refuses to be cowered by the US war against terrorism after September 11th and indeed is being raised to new heights faced with an impending war against Iraq which many of the EU leader at the summit have already signed up to.

Tony Blair had stated that this was a ‘make or break’ EU summit and the aim was to push forward free market reforms. Well, I think it broke. This demonstration illustrates that economic liberalisation in Europe presents genuine political difficulties.

And the leaders are very much afraid of the people. 8,500 police officers were deployed on the streets of Barcelona, as well as combat jets, ground-to–air missiles and warships off the coast. When we gathered at the Placa de Catalunya, 3 helicopters were buzzing over our heads. As the masses of people assembled for over an hour and a half, the helicopters got further and further apart. This was how we could estimate the magnitude of the march. Massive.

And the demonstration would have been even bigger, but the Spanish government suspended the Schengen agreement which allows free movement between European states. Over 1,500 protestors from Belgium and France were barred at the Franco-Spanish border. Those who did not leave the border area were forcibly removed and some were beaten. Instead of turning back, they held impromptu demos in Perpignan. Basque activists were also barred from attending the protests. Reports of 4 coaches were stopped and turned back.

The march was brilliant. There was a carnival atmosphere with people dancing down the side streets. ‘Resistance’ , ‘A-anti-ANTICAPITALISTA!’ and ‘One solution, REVOLUTION’ were just three of the many slogans being shouted out to the world. There were three main blocks to the demo: social forum, Campaign against Europe of Capital and War, and the unions, which all converged into one demo. It took over an hour and a half to assemble and start to move.

Overall the demonstration was peaceful. The organisers had asked that all the participants respect the collective decision against confrontation. As the back of the demo entered the last leg of the march towards the Placa Portal de la Pau along the Passeig de Colom, the riot cops jumped out of the waiting vans and started to form along the side streets. Until then, they had been unseen, especially the undercover cops that were all the way through the demo swarming around in black block gear (I know this for I saw them arresting people just a few minutes later). The end of the march was dominated by the CGT and CNT, anarchist unions, and had already been attacked by the cops at the beginning of the march.

Protestors faced brutal repression at the June demonstrations against the World Bank last year, where it was proven that police agent provacateurs started the riots to ‘justify’ the heavy police attacks and the use of rubber bullets. These clashes sparked off a political debate in Spain over police brutality at demonstrations. The presence of the riot police made most people very agitated and angry.

And for good reason. Obviously, the cops haven’t learned much from the debate…

At one point, one of the demonstrators lit a banner on fire. All of a sudden the cops started firing tear gas towards the protestors. There was still ten of thousands in the Placa Portal de la Pau. People started masking up and there was a short confrontation with the police. The police deployed rubber bullets, shooting into the crowd and charging with batons. Most people started to run either up the Ramblas or the Passeig del Parallel. Police chased demonstrators into hotels, bars, entrances where they were trying to hide.

Then the cops went completely mad and went on a rampage up the Ramblas. They entered a restaurant and started beating and arresting anyone who looked remotely young, not even radical. More people were beaten on the street and inside the Parallel tube station.

In total, there was estimated 109 people arrested over the 3 days of actions. The majority are Spanish, but cover many nationalities such as British, Italian, Belgian, Slovenian and French. There was solidarity actions outside the police station where most were being held.

Politically, this demo was a step forward for the anti-capitalist movement. Over 300,000 people marching together against capitalism and war. All in all, it was a brilliant demo. And it proves to me that the movement against the bosses and their privatisation agenda is growing stronger and stronger.

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GOTHENBURG - June 14-16 2001

GENOA - July 19-20 2001

BRUSSELS - Dec 13-15, 2001

NEW YORK - Jan 31 - Feb 3, 2002

MUNICH - February 2002

BARCELONA - March 14-16th, 2002

SEVILLE - June 20-22, 2002