Members of the EL Executive Board participated on Saturday, 23 February, in a big demonstration in Madrid. On this day hundreds of thousands of people, convened by the “Citizen’s Tide Collective” (Colectivo Marea Ciudadana), bringing together more than 300 collectives including the United Left (IU) and the Spanish Communist Party (PCE), the “Green Tide of education”, “the White Tide of Health”, affected of house evictions, the 15-M movement, etc. took the streets in 80 Spanish cities to protest against corruption and cuts as well as in defence of public services.

Marisa Matías, together with other members of the EL Executive Board such as Celine Meneses of the French Left Front as well as members of other EL parties such as Die Linke, Bloco de Esquerda, Synaspismos, AKOA, French Communist Party (PCF), Finnish Left Alliance and obviously the Spanish Communist Party (PCE) supported the demonstrations and denounced the policies of cuts and the dictatorship of the markets which is being imposed in Europe and attacks the welfare state.

The chosen date for this demonstration by its organisers was the 23rd of February referring to the failed coup d’état 32 years ago. The conveners consider that today we stand before another coup d’état, the financial one, which is the source of this policy of cuts imposed by the markets. Not in vain, one of the loudest cries were “it’s not corruption, it’s capitalism”.

Also mentioned was the non-payment of the debt. Passing the Bank of Spain the demonstrators cried out loud massively: “We don’t owe, we don’t pay”.

The organizers of this big state-wide mobilization declared that this demonstration of the 23rd of February is only a point of departure and that now the objective would be clear: Not overthrowing a government, but overthrowing the form of governing.

Party of the European Left,
25th of February 2013