Spanish Unions Get All Robin Hood Against The Cuts
ACROSS EUROPE, MILLIONS of ordinary people have been fighting back against massive cuts to jobs, wages and welfare. There have been protests, occupations, strikes, direct actions and even the odd riot. But now, members of the Spanish field workers’ union, Sindicato Andaluz de Trabajadores, along with supporters, have stepped it up by raiding one supermarket and forcing another to ‘donate’ most of its produce, before distributing the looted groceries to impoverished families. Hundreds of union members entered supermarkets in the towns of Seville and Cadiz, filled up their trolleys and, after a tussle with security, left without paying. The food was distributed via locally co-ordinated food banks. The actions saw only two arrests, one being the mayor of Marinaleda, who stated “If I end up in jail because I highlighted the crisis, it will be an honour.” A second supermarket raider said “we are taking some food and giving it to families who are having a really hard time. If this is stealing, then I’m guilty.” These food runs follow in the footsteps of similar actions by Greek anarchists which have become increasingly widespread over the past five years.
The week after the supermarket sweep, hundreds of union members in hard-hit Andalusia (where unemployment has risen to 40%) broke down the fencing of an estate owned by the Duke of Segobore, occupied the land and set up a ‘communal agriculture project’. Diego Canamero, of the Andalusian Union of Workers, said: “We’re here to denounce a social class who leave such a place to waste”. The lavish well-kept gardens, house, and pool are left empty, as the Duke lives in Seville, more than 60 miles away. Commenting on this, an unemployed farm-worker taking part in the occupation said “Nobody lives here now, but the sprinklers are functioning and keeping the lawns beautifully green. Just imagine how many farmers’ wages you could pay instead of watering empty gardens.”
Mostly, the situation in Spain is dire, with the top 10% earning 12 times the average wage. Unemployment stands at 25%, higher amongst the youth, and 22% of families have plunged below the poverty line. And if planned cuts over the next decade go ahead, things look set to get much worse.
In light of this, the looters and occupiers have realised that, while protesting against cuts is important, if we are to survive, we need to start taking what we need from the rich, who would let us go homeless and starve rather than sharing the wealth. All we should care about is the fact that we need food, housing, healthcare and, hell, some entertainment once in a while, and we still live in a continent of plenty. Despite (or because of) the recession, whilst we’ve all been tightening our belts, the richest in our country – and all across Europe – have been hoarding even more wealth. Soon the time will come when we have to start taking some of it back for ourselves: trip to Tesco’s anyone?
