General Strike

I have survived my first general strike in Spain.  Unlike how the media likes to represent them, the protests are not a string of violent actions.  It feels more like being at a festival than a protest.  There are parents with their children, holding banners and singing songs.  Every demographic is present in the crowd: families, teenagers and the elderly were all joined in their desire for change.  For the most part, peaceful conversation was the dominant theme of the day.

Photo by Reilly Dorr

When it's not the people being blamed for violent protests, it is the police.  Those who are anti-police cling to images of officers beating on helpless civilians, while others blame the protesters.  In either case, the violent people are the minority, but make for much more exciting news.

There are always two stories being told: the protesters' and the police officers'.  Unfortunately, it's hard to find the middle ground- the truth.  No matter who's right or wrong, I realized that while there can be violence, it generally only comes to those who want to bring it to that level.