Alternative unionists and syndicalists spark major protest in Spain this March 22

The Andalusian union SAT which is syndicalist-oriented and an ally of the anarcho-syndicalist unions CGT and CNT has sparked perhaps the major protest of the year:

The CGT and CNT are working to turn the protest into a general strike see

http://www.rojoynegro.info/articulo/agitaci%C3%B3n/cgt-participa-apoya-las-marchas-la-dignidad

http://www.cnt.es/noticias/22m-cnt-en-marcha-cnt-en-lucha

  Madrid Protest update -  At least a million people converged on the city. There was also some violence 

– to be expected. The BBC and Yahoo finally commented about

 4 hours ago.

(1PM PST March 22)  The most informative clips come from 

independent  sources  however, See:


http://revolution-news.com/spains-marches-dignity-reach-madrid/ 


http://rt.com/news/spain-protest-cuts-crisis-509/ 

Report below from International Marxist tendency, http://www.marxist.com/dignity-marches-everyone-to-madrid-on-march-22.htm

On Saturday, 22 March, Madrid will witness one of the main social and political mobilisations of the year, the March for Dignity. The aim is to gather hundreds of thousands of people in Madrid, from around the country in order to show opposition to the anti-working class and anti-social policies of the past few years. The demonstration will march under the slogans "Do not pay the public debt", for a "Basic income to all those without resources", "No more cuts", "Bread, Housing and Jobs for all" and "Down with the Troika Governments."

A model organisation

This magnificent mobilisation was initially promoted by the Andalusian Workers’ Union (SAT), led by the historical land labourers’ leaders Diego Cañamero and Sánchez Gordillo. However, their initiative has been enthusiastically embraced by hundreds of social, trade union and political organisations around the country, including the party of the United Left.

"Platforms for the Dignity Marches" have been organised in dozens of cities, towns and neighborhoods across the country. They bring together thousands of activists from a broad range of social movements, trade unions and left-wing political organisations.

Planning for the "Dignity Marches" began in November and dozens of public meetings have been held all over the country to launch them and explain their aims.

Dignity March columns advancing towards Madrid

In the run-up to the main march in Madrid, six columns of demonstrators will arrive after having walked hundreds of kilometres from every corner of the country. These are: the Northern Column (Basque Country and La Rioja), the Northwestern Column (Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, El Bierzo, León), the Northeastern Column (Catalonia, Navarra, Aragon), the East-South East Column (Valencia and Murcia), the Southern Column (Andalucía) and the Southwestern Column (Extremadura). All of these consist of tens and hundreds of comrades who march through dozens of towns and cities, thus raising the profile of the protest. In everyone of these cities and towns, the organisations involved in the organising platforms have helped provide logistical support and infrastructure to ensure the feeding of the marchers and, above all, to provide them with accommodation, mattresses, blankets, etc. In many cases the columns have been faced with boycott and rejection from several mayors of the right-wing Popular Party. They have refused to provide municipal sports centers or warehouses for the marchers to stay at and in some cases, like in Novelda (Alicante), the PP mayor prevented the column from entering the town altogether.

Apart from the six marches, hundreds of buses have been organised to transporter tens of thousands of people from all over the country to Madrid to participate in the main demonstration on March 22...