People power: Thousands defy Spanish protest ban as demonstrations go on into the night



An order by the Spanish government banning protests after midnight last night was held up to ridicule when tens of thousands of demonstrators continued protesting after the curfew supposedly kicked in.

Yesterday was the last day for candidates to campaign for the election for municipal and regional government positions in much of the country. Citing the mandatory end of campaigning, the national election commission banned protests today and tomorrow - voting day.

But as city clocks chimed the beginning of a new day, thousands of demonstrators condemning government spending cuts - stood their ground. Some kept quiet, many with sticky tape over their mouths in a gesture to illustrate they were being gagged by the ban.

All night long: Madrid was a focal point for the act of defiance, with thousands gathering in the capital's Puerta del Sol square to protest the ban on demonstrations

The government avoided saying if it would order police to break up the crowds in the early hours of this morning, but at the stroke of midnight officers kept a discreet presence on the edges of the demonstrations.

People are angry over Spain's high unemployment rate and what they see as the national political parties' ineptitude in dealing with a deep economic crisis.

Protesters built a camp in Madrid's central Puerta del Sol square last Sunday, a week ahead of nationwide elections. Since then good-natured, peaceful and colorful gatherings have sprung up and grown around the country under the banner of 'Real Democracy Now'.

Still standing: As town clocks chimed midnight, many protesters ignored requests for them to disperse

Many protesters have said they were influenced by recent pro-democracy uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East and one popular chant is 'Join us'.



Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero did not say whether he would order police to break up demonstrations.

Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba was also cagey about how the government would deal with the protesters, although he said the police would not act to make things worse.

Initially he said the government will 'enforce the law', but he later backtracked, saying: 'The police are not going to resolve one problem by creating another.'

Record-breaking sleepover: Demonstrators brought sleeping bags to make their all-nighter more comfortable

Bedded down for the night: The sit-in ended peacefully after authorities decided not to try and move the demonstrators on

The ruling Socialist party is widely expected to suffer big losses at the polls, perhaps even in traditional strongholds, having been forced to introduce austerity measures.

'They want to leave us without public health and public education. Half of our youth is unemployed and they have raised the age of retirement,' said protester Natividad Garcia.

The government is presiding over an economy struggling to overcome recession and create jobs to chip away at a 21.3 percent jobless rate, the highest in the eurozone.

The morning after the night before: Sunrise revealed many of the protesters still camped out

In Spain, rallies called to urge people to vote one way or another are typically banned the day before an election, called 'days of reflection'.

The election commission was deeply divided this time, and upheld the ban by just a one-vote margin. The panel was convened to give a blanket ruling for all of Spain because provincial election bodies had issued contradictory rulings, with some allowing protests this week and some banning them, as was the case in Madrid.

Organisers of the protests say that they have no party affiliation, are not trying to affect the election outcome in any way, and are not even urging people to abstain from voting.