Whatever happened to the indignados?

Luke Stobart has written the first column in a three part series tracking the radicalisation that has swept the Spanish state since the 15M protests of 2011. The series is being published on the Australian socialist blog Left Flank.

The 15M movement may not be what it was, but its radical spirit and strength has positively driven the struggle – not just in the Spanish state but internationally. To effectively challenge austerity will require a social movement that breaks down sectorial and other divisions, and develops into an alternative form of power to institutional politics. It will require social struggles to be resolutely disobedient and fully democratic (by the people, for the people).

The Spanish example shows that anti-politics can provide the basis for such a movement, and that rather than being an “immature” phenomenon shaped by a period of disorientation for the class, it is in many important regards its opposite: a mature challenge to the system that is free of many of the social-democratic illusions of previous movements.

Future columns will look at how the indignados struggle is helping block neoliberal measures. Read the whole thing here.