Photo Gallery Spanish Protests Continue
Despite the protest ban enacted by the Spanish government on Friday, May 20, thousands of young protestors continued to demonstrate in Madrid's central Puerta del Sol square ahead of the country's elections this Sunday. The protests have been compared to those in Cairo's Tahrir Square.
A number of protesters, most of them young people, even camped out in the square overnight. Spain's ruling party suffered heavy losses in Sunday's election but protesters are considering staying on.
Some demonstraters kept spirits up by playing music, while others took care of more practical matters, like arranging for food.
Demonstration daycare: Cristina Fernandez de Bobadilla (L) ran an impromptu childcare center for protesters. The 23-year-old is a trained baker who has been hunting for a job for years without any luck -- a story familiar to many young Spaniards.
"These are our weapons" reads this sign bearing protesters' handprints. Participants emphasized the peaceful nature of the demonstrations.
"Without a second job, there's no way to make ends meet," said Elia Maqueda. The 27-year-old works as a translator but says the money isn't enough.
Participants taped their mouths shut in protest crippling unemployment, corruption and tough austerity measures by the government after the economic crisis.
Thousand of people came to the Real Democracy Now meeting last Friday, May 20. Some 25,000 took to Madrid's Puerta del Sol square for the event.
A festive atmosphere continued in the square even after the protest ban took effect at midnight on Saturday, May 21.
People waited anxiously to see if police would attempt to end the demonstration but they made no attempt to do so and the scene remained peaceful.
