The financial crisis in Spain began in 2008 and ever since then, it has been on the news headline everyday. The crisis is not only economic but also has social and political impact. And it is always the common man that suffers from the repercussions- uncertain pension scheme, increased unemployment rate, decline in wages and lowered health and education standards.
The media and politicians often portray the crisis in the language of facts and figures- the amount of the public debt, the number of people marching the streets, the cuts to public spending, the number of jobs lost etc. However, behind these numbers lie different stories of human experiences and needs.
Frustrated by the situation, the Spanish public has been roused to voice their concerns. Taking inspiration from the recent Arab Spring, many people started meeting in city squares to discuss the situation. This soon developed into large gatherings of people in local squares, with Plaza del Sol in Madrid being the epicentre of the 15th of May Movement (also known as 15M). This social movement, commonly referred to as the ‘Indignados’, drew people from different social backgrounds with the sole intention to take charge of the country’s social, economic and political changes at this still embryonic stage of the crisis.