Spanish youth recreate Tahrir Square

The revolutionary spirit of Cairo has reached Madrid, where thousands of Spanish youth have been camping out in the city-centre in a protest against youth unemployment, writes Kady Tate

Spain has the highest unemployment rate in Europe – 21.3% – and like other European countries, young people make up the majority.

Starting on Sunday, the protest has grown in size after initially being dispersed by police. Protesters have set up tents, and organised the distribution of food and supplies.

The protests are directed against the country’s political establishment, with slogans like “the guilty ones should pay for the crisis” and “violence is earning 600 euros” – a reference to the low wages which prevents young people from gaining financial independence.

Spanish media reports that the protests are not linked to any one political party, but the demonstrators are getting more organised – setting up citizens’ committees to provide food, communications, cleaning and security democratically.

While the Madrid protests are taking place in a very different climate to the occupation of Tahrir Sq which triggered the overthrow of longtime Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, they represent the anger of millions of young people across Europe who are seeing their education, jobs and futures destroyed in the economic crisis.

Like the protests in North Africa which were sparked by mass mobilisations of unemployed youth, the key to victory for the Spanish youth is to build practical and political links with the organised working class. Solidarity between the youth who have no future and the workers resisting attacks on their jobs and pensions can strengthen unity between young people, workers and the unemployed.

The demands of the Spanish youth for jobs, better living conditions, and a fairer system of democracy are echoed by young people across Europe and the Middle East.

Youth unemployment in the UK stands above 20%, with more than 50% of young black people out of work or education. The unemployment rate for university graduates has reached 1 in 5.

From London to Tunis young people are being made to pay the price of capitalism in crisis – while the millionaires have seen their wealth increase by 20% since the start of the recession.

Across the world young people are being radicalised through resistance to attacks on our jobs and education. The revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia showed that young people have a vital role to play in resisting and, ultimately, overthrowing the capitalist elites who use us as cheap, expendable labour in the good years, and throw us onto the scrapheap when their system crashes.

Young people have nothing to gain from defending capitalism – the mass protests in Spain proves that more and more youth are recognising this.

There is only one alternative to capitalist crisis – socialist revolution. Join REVOLUTION and unite with young people across the world in resisting the bosses’ austerity and fighting for socialism.