An Evaluation of the Spanish Indignados/15M Movement

Abstract

In 2011, there were intense protest movements around the world. These protest movements were not limited to underdeveloped or less developed countries. Likewise developed or developing countries with relatively high level of democracy experienced protest movements and new social movements emerged. The angry crowds occupying the important squares of the countries they live in both expressed their socioeconomic problems and revealed the political systems of their countries and the problem of democracy within this system. In this study, the Indignados/15M movement that emerged in Spain during this period is evaluated. In the study, first of all, the birth of the movement and the conditions that led to the birth of the movement are revealed. Then, the meaning of square occupations as public spaces, the organizational structure of the movement and its impact on Spanish politics are discussed. The Indignados/15M movement, which initially emerged online through digital media applications in the virtual world and then went offline with the square occupations, is subjected to an analytical examination in the context of Spain.