looking for activist Barcelona

I responded to a post on the COUCHSURFING network, this post is for the benefit of those who are interested in this helpful information and who are not part of the CS network, ie, they cant view the discussion therein…)

Location: Places >> Europe >> Spain – España >> CATALUNYA – CATALONIA >> Barcelona

Hi! I am a traveler/historian/activist from Texas looking to learn from Barcelona activism and see what I can apply from it to my own state.

I´m coming from Greece right now, where the activism was spectacular, but not particularly applicable to the situation of groups in Texas.

I am particularly interested in learning about the indignado movement, as well as the history of activism in Barcelona through its architecture. I read a book on anarchism in the city of Barcelona right before I started traveling, and so I am particularly interested in tying in the past to the present.

If anyone is interested in showing me around, let me know.I will buy you beers!

– Molly

My 2 responses:

hi molly, and all here interested in this most relevant of topics…

Dunk here, the guy who gave the free walking tour in the thunder shower (that was a first for me) to molly and 7 other brave souls…

anway, ive plenty to say about this, from personal experience aswell as background study… good to chat after the tour about things, pity i hadnt more time to stay around, id a house to clean and a special lady to make dinner for…

anyway, besides being a tour guide, ive lived here 5 years and participated and still participate in many things in the city; mostly along lines of ecolgical, anti-capitalist, creative, gardening, stuff… and a fair bit with latin american networks… I helped set up the Barcelona en transició group, have participated since the early days of the #spanishrevolution of the 15M indignados and helped share views on the realitionship between the #OCCUPY movement and the world of permaculture / transition / degrowth (decreixement / decreciemiento / decroissance)

So, heres a few links of interest, with tonnes of links within, vids, audios ive recorded, views, etc…

ecological change:

Greening Barcelona > A Transition Vision For Barcelona City

+ Bold, Beautiful, Blooming Barcelona asks: What would it mean to win?
(this is the main link i told you about with the 3 part radio doc from the occupied community garden in the barrio of gracia, where we spent valentines weekend painting murals… loads of links here)

#SpanishRevolution:

Homage to Plaza Catalunya: REAL DEMOCRACY NOW IRELAND event
+
Spain: With The Outraged In Madrid | #SpanishRevolution comes to Greece: #M25Gr = #GreekRevolution | Tahrir Comes to Spain | Tahrir > Spain > World | #SpanishRevolution – Instaling Democracy 2.0 | #spanishrevolution goes global Greece: Grassroots politics flourish in Greek turmoil | The Greek protests are not just about the economic crisis | Athens protests: Syntagma Square on frontline of European austerity protests General: “Peoples of Europe, Rise Up” Greece’s message being taken up by France, and maybe beyond too?

occupy:

The American Revolution is underway, #occupywallstreet takes it to the belly of the beast > Transtioning from OIL DEPENDANCE to local RESILIENCE, through peaceful REVOLUTIONARY action

****
Saturday… Painting pictures and feeling like we are winning

Recent article i was interviewed about:

Deepening the debate; anti capitalist revolution > planting urban food gardens > local money > resilient communities

read it at Let’s plant some seeds :// GARDENING FOR CHANGE

OK, thats a start, hope this gets a bit of further discussion going, back later, enjoy your adventures…

+

CSO’s and iNFO USURPA

Also forgot to add, to anyone while they are here. There are many social centres in the city and environs, about 60 in all, most are called CSO which stands for CENTRO SOCIAL OKUPADA, ones that are CSOA, are with an explicit auto-gestanado or anarchisty slant. Many are squatted spaces, but not all, some are a bit messy, some are incredibly organised spaces and open to all. Most have free event (cheap food, rockclimbing, bike fixing, library, free internet, dance, yoga, painting, photography, free language classes, free film nights… BIG list)

Info Usurpa rocks, its a weekly WHATS ON EVENT GUIDE, its a 3 page PDF, freely available here: http://usurpa.squat.net/ (click on the PDF section at end of screen). It comes out on wednesdays, and has a full list of active CSO’s, with their address and local train / metro line, and the weekly calender of whats on where… most CSO’s print and stick the 3 A3’s on the outside front wall of their social centres so passers by can see whats on where, they also contain BIG EVENTS, dates etc and at end have activist news… Its going since 1996 and now london has a similar system…

THIS is what it looks like, mas o menos:

POSTSCRIPT:
#SPANISHREVOLUTION to #AMERICANREVOLUTION to TRANSITION

vids:

– 15M what’s happening in Spain?

– Democracy 2.0 Barcelona