Despite the fact that the leaders of the Spanish unions are still trying to maintain social peace at all costs and despite the psychological impact of the economic crisis, the whole social environment is heating up very fast, such that a sudden entry onto the stage of the Spanish working class as a whole is being prepared.
Yesterday the Spanish Student Union, Sindicato de Estudiantes, called a student general strike involving school and university students. The turnout as massive, with hundreds of thousands coming out to protest against cuts in education and privatisation.
Thousands of students took to the streets in Spain on Wednesday 22nd to protest against plans to privatise university education and also opposing any plans to make workers pay for the capitalist crisis through cuts in education, health and other public services.
For the Marxists, it was vital to take
advantage of Chavez' visit to Spain to show the solidarity of the Spanish working class
and youth with the Venezuelan Revolution.
On July 10, to coincide with the start of the trial of the neo-nazi Óscar
Colino Damián, the Gasteiz Antifascist Platform organised a demonstration at
11am in front of the court. The demonstration which attracted more than 40
workers and young people was organised by the Gasteiz Antifascist Platform with
the participation of various trade unions, associations, left parties, student
unions and left and progressive collectives.