‘Fear is gonna Change Sides’.. Women’s Self Defense.

Just months before they had shared a video on Whatsapp of themselves abusing, mocking and stripping a drugged and kidnapped girl, to the adulation of their many fans (see Pozoblanco below).

The San Fermin rape became the focus of a campaign against sexual abuse atthe Fiesta, highlighting many other similar cases, and condemning the impunity showed by the corrupt political justice system, as well as the links between machismo, bull torture, catholic nationalism and rape in the ‘culture’ of the Spanish right.

The sentencing of the rapists came just weeks after the first ever women’s General Strike on March 8th with an unprecedented awakening to the abuse , denigration and discrimination against women.

A heavy sentence was expected but the judges ruled there was no proof of rape, that the girl didn’t protest loud enough, and reduced the charge to ‘abuse’. For this they got 9 years each.. but with endless appeals and certain clemency they will likely never go to jail, like the hundreds of corrupt poiliticians charged but enjoying immunity..

Demonstrations called on social media have multiplied already across Spain to express the rejection of the decision of the court

(Ara report by ENRIC BORRÀS / MARIONA FERRER) Thousands of people – most of them women – have quickly concentrated in the Plaça Sant Jaume de Barcelona.

Minutes before seven o’clock in the afternoon, when the protest in Barcelona was summoned due to the San Fermines rape, the Plaza de Sant Jaume was already full to bursting.

Thousands of women – with improvised signs and banners with mottos such as “Proviamente violences masclistes” and “It’s not abuse, it’s rape.”

At the concentration of Barcelona, ​​women of all ages who have called mottos such as “No es no”, “Masculina violadora, al triturador”, “La Manada somos nosotros”, “If they play one at a time, they will touch us to all “and” Without justice, there is no peace “. One of the most sensitive, however, is “It’s not abuse, it’s rape,” in a clear reference to the court’s decision to condemn members of the Manada gang for sexual abuse and not for rape or even for sexual assault.

The ‘culture’ of torture, abuse and machismo is taught to boys.

It is estimated that the demo had, at least, more than 5,000 people because Plaza Sant Jaume was completely filled. Clàudia, a 18-year-old from Barcelona, ​​explained that she has participated in the protest because she feels “outraged.” “It’s like telling us all we have to resist and risk to die for it to be considered a rape,” she said. During San Fermin women in the crowd are lifted up, stripped and groped , to general hilarity. The mayor of Barcelona, ​​Ada Colau, has also participated in the concentration. “Five men against a woman is a very serious rape,” Colau exclaimed, adding: “What has to happen for it to be considered a rape? Do you have to scratch your eyes and nails, do you have to break your bones, do you have to be killed before it’s considered to be rape? “ “Is the judge placed in the victim’s place? It is obvious that he is not,” said the mayor of Barcelona, ​​who has demanded that “laws must be reviewed because they are now unfair and sexist.” ‘sister I do believe you’ ”Victims must know that they should not give up, that they are not alone, that today we are thousands in the streets and that we will return as necessary until justice is done and this sentence is reviewed. Let us not resign ourselves, we do not accept it, “concluded Ada Colau. One of the magistrates refused to condemn the Manada gang even for abuse, only for having stolen the victim’s cell phone Yesterday evening rallies have also been called in other parts of Spain to express the rejection of the decision of the court. Apart from Barcelona, ​​thousands of people have also participated in the demonstrations that have been made, for example, in cities such as Madrid and Seville, where the condemned of La Manada gang are from. The mass pickets have been mostly women. Madrid already reached an historic milestone on March 8 with an unprecedented feminist rally in the Spanish capital, which collapsed the entire center.



The Pozoblanco case..The same men had made a video sexually abusing a drugged and kidnapped girl

The Pozoblanco case..The same men had made a video sexually abusing a drugged and kidnapped girl

The early morning of May 1, 2016, José Angel Prenda, Alfonso Jesus Cabezuelo, Jesus Escudero and Antonio Manuel Guerrero, four members of the group known as ‘La Manada’, travel in a vehicle from Torrecampo to Pozoblanco, car in which is also find a girl. She, who is stunned, disoriented and sleepy, is sitting in the back seat, in the middle of Alfonso and Jesus. While the Garment records the events and Antonio leads; They are dedicated to feeling the breasts of the young girl between laughter and mockery, as shown in the video they recorded themselves. All of the Manada gang have previous convictions.

On Whatsapp the Manada talk about stealing, using sedatives to do as they wish with women and to be able to have sexual relations without them being able to put up resistance and even make claims about raping them.

There is explicit talk of using the ‘burundanga’ drug and perpetrating rape. But none of this persuaded the misogynist judges in the San Fermin rape case.

This earlier Pozoblanco case was not reported until the alleged victim learned about the case of the young woman from Pamplona and decided to file a lawsuit for these events, a complaint that is now being investigated at the Pozoblanco Court. It is expected that later in 2018 the four defendants of the Manada will also declare for these events.

Corrupt Court cancels Ban on Bullfighting in Catalonia Children are bloodied in the ”cultural heritage” of public animal torture Public Killing and Torturing bulls was legalised again in Catalunya by order of the central government. This was the latest of a series of blatantly anti Catalan orders by the Spanish Constitutional and Supreme Courts. The Courts are politically controlled and have always supported dubious, self serving and even openly fascist proposals instigated by the far right 1% and the Catholic Church. The ban on bullfighting in Catalonia is seen as a traitorous way of asserting that ‘Catalonia is not Spain’. That the Catalonia ‘colony’ does not go along with the decadent, repressive ruling class culture which still pervades Iberia and was exported to the then Spanish American colonies.

The popular bumper sticker in Madrid is the bull, representing, for the Catalans, cruel bullying disguised as ‘heroic’ sexist posturing.

Barcelona cars on the other hand feature the Catalan donkey, symbolizing a nice but stubborn animal, and maybe the ability to laugh at themselves.

Many men deride the feminist and anti bullfight struggle, pointing to the ”more important” half million evicted, 6 million unemployed and disappearing health and education rights, etc. few except anarchists and vegans seem to care for animal rights.

However even pro-bullfighters agree that dominating women and animals is symbolic of expressing, and imposing, national identity and patriarchal values.. In other States ‘sports’ may not directly torture, but many are abused to arouse and manipulate people through tribal or nationalist hysteria.

original of main text in Catalan També s’han convocat concentracions en altres punts de l’estat espanyol per expressar el rebuig a la decisió del tribunal ENRIC BORRÀS / MARIONA FERRER I FORNELLS Barcelona / Madrid 26/04/2018 20:44