'Indignants' back in Madrid's Puerta del Sol square

BBC News, 13 May 2012

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"Indignados" are planning four days
 of protests in the run-up to Tuesday's
anniversary of the movement

Protesters are back in Puerta del Sol square in the Spanish capital, Madrid, hours after being evicted by police.

Many in the square are shouting slogans in support of 18 people detained by police when they moved in to clear the square overnight on Saturday.

Nine have now been freed, reports leading Spanish newspaper El Pais.

The square became a focal point for the movement of "indignants", which erupted in response to economic crisis and austerity policies exactly a year ago.

Tens of thousands joined marches across Spain this weekend, marking the anniversary of the "indignados" movement and protesting against the fresh austerity drive of the conservative People's Party, which was voted back into office last November.

Madrid authorities vowed not to allow a repeat of last year's month-long occupation of Puerta del Sol square.

'We won't pay!'

Police moved into the square at about 04:00 on Sunday morning (02:00 GMT) after protesters ignored a midnight deadline to disperse, making 18 arrests.

But later on Sunday the square reopened and hundreds of protesters moved back in, shouting slogans such as "We're not all here - 18 are missing" and "We won't pay for your crisis!", reports said.

TV pictures showed a line of security vehicles parked alongside the square, their blue lights flashing, but apparently calm scenes inside the square where hundreds of people were gathered.

According to El Pais, nine of the 18 arrested have now been freed but the remaining nine are due in court on Monday.

Saturday's marches across Spain launched four days of protest which will culminate on Tuesday, 15 May - dubbed 15M - the exact anniversary of the movement's birth.

Authorities in Madrid have permitted protesters to use the square for a fixed number of hours each day, and Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said the government would ensure those hours were respected, said AFP news agency.

Since returning to power in December, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has vowed to undertake harsh austerity measures - promising a major reform "every Friday".

He defended such policies at a political rally on Sunday, reported Reuters news agency, saying they were necessary to tackle the country's economic problems.

"We'll get out of this [crisis] if the government doesn't tire of making reforms, and the government is not going to tire," Mr Rajoy reportedly said.

But amid a relapse into recession and an unemployment rate that has soared to 24%, many protesters say such policies are not working.