Following two weeks of daily protests and assemblies outside the Spanish embassy a camp was set up, once again, during the bank holiday weekend.

But during the long weekend activists from 'Real Democracy London' also took the protests away from Belgrave Square taking advantage that thousands of Catalan football supporters were in town, as well as many crews from Spanish mainstream media. They staged a series of actions and protests on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th, and on Sunday 29th, they joined the 'European Revolution' call to action that saw a large assembly taking place in Trafalgar Square. See reports and photos ...

What happened during the weekend?

Friday 27th:

Around 100 people from he London Camp and Assembly made sure that their voices where heard during the news broadcast from the main Spanish TV channel that was following the Catalan football supporters gathered in Hyde Park. Activists, showing solidarity with the Barcelona square occupation that had been violently attacked by riot police that same morning, took position just behind the TV reporter as he was doing a live broadcast. See video of the action.

They then moved back to Belgrave Square outside the Spanish embassy where a meeting took place to decide on the practicalities to set up camp, as well as debating the proposals for further actions during the weekend,


Saturday 28th:

At around 1pm, and as hundreds of the Catalan football supporters in town for the Champions league final were gathering at Trafalgar square, a group of around 50 activists turned up with banners and placards protesting against the police brutality that had gone on in Barcelona's Plaça de Catalunya camp the day before. They read a manifesto in solidarity with the Barcelona square occupation, and called the football supporters to take the protest into the stadium and make it visible during the football match as the world's media would be broadcasting it. See video of the action.

Later in the afternoon, a larger group of activists made they way to the gates of Wembley stadium where they staged a protest. They were also approaching groups of Barcelona's football supporters asking them to take a 12m long banner they had prepared and display it inside the stadium during the match. Finally, a group of football supporters agreed to it, took the banner and unfurled it in the stands [see pic]

People then made their way back to Belgrave Square outside the Spanish embassy where they set up camp for the night. They then gathered in an assembly to asses the day's actions, and to decide on whether to participate as a group in the 'European Revolution' assembly that had been called for the following day in Trafalgar Square.


Sunday 29th:

A series of workshops took place at the camp in Belgrave Square during the morning, including drumming by Rhythms of Resistance, and a debate workshop with guests from several groups who work for the social justice in the UK, Italy, Greece and other countries. After the camp was cleared in the early afternoon, another assembly took place which decided to move as a group and participate in the mass action called to take place later in the evening in Trafalgar Square.

At 6pm around 500 people gathered in the centre of the square where a mass assembly took place. People from 'Real Democracy London' addresed the crowd explaining the reasons for their protests whilst putting it in context with what has been going with the square occupations throughout Spain for the last two weeks, They also explained the brutal police attack to the Barcelona's camp of friday morning,

Then people from Greece explained the situation in their country since the last wave of 'austerity measures' were imposed after the county's 'bail out' by the IMF, and called for a mass European uprising against the austerity measures being imposed throughout Europe. They also called for participatory and direct democratic systems of organising instead of the representative democracy farce.

An activist from Queer resistance then explained their current campaign against NHS cuts which will see the closure of many Sexual Health Clinics which provide information and treatment to HIV patients. People from Italy, Iceland, Palestine and UK also spoke about the situation in their countries. The assembly then debated whether to continue with the actions in the future, to which most of those present waved their hands to the air showing their support for the idea,

For the time being, 'Real Democracy London' is calling for a series of talks, assemblies and actions for this week and into the weekend:

• Thursday 2nd June: Talk about 'How Banks Work' from 7 to 9pm, followed by a mass assembly. Both events due to take place outside the Spanish embassy in Belgrave Square.
• Friday 3rd June: Meeting to address and debate about what the Real Democracy 'movement' is and where it is going, and possibly set up camp if people are up for it.
• Saturday 4th June: Possible camp and further discussions about the 'movement' and its direction.
• Sunday 5th June: Meeting with other UK groups and movements from other countries from 11.30am, and at 2pm departure towards Regents Street for the ''Taste of Spain' corporate event, to make the protest visible in central London once again.

For updates see the Real Democracy London blog

Related past articles in London Indymedia:

• They all must go ...
• A shout from Madrid
• The Real Democracy Now movement continue in London
• Protests set to continue outside Spanish embassy
• #acampadabcn: Videos: Attempt of eviction of Barcelona's square