Whereas the official agricultural organizations of Spain have planned large protest actions for the last week of February, an independent farm activist group has come together, outside the parties and the official ag organizations, around a call for a strike to shut down the country with blockades and other actions starting Tuesday, Feb. 6. Now calling themselves the “Plataforma 6-F,” their national spokeswoman, Lola Guzmán Sáez, announced that the fishermen have joined the strike call in the last two days, the first time in 40 years, she says, that farmers, livestock producers, and fishermen have joined forces in a common cause. An independent truckers group will take part as well.
The group sees itself as part of the farm protests across Europe. Guzmán Sáez reports they are in touch with farm networks in Germany, France, Romania, and are coordinating future joint actions with similar groups in Italy and Portugal.
In an effort to suppress this new initiative, the word was put out that the Feb. 6 action did not represent more than “four crazies.” Government authorities are now worried that they may face a more serious strike than they thought. The Government of the Autonomous Community (province) of Murcia issued a statement today warning that “the government has not authorized any farmers rally tomorrow and will prosecute anyone who breaks traffic or citizen security laws.”
Feli Martín Crespo, one of the farm leaders in Extremadura organizing the strike, [issued a video]([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZVjJRYDEiE&t=68s) last week calling on barbers, mechanics, bricklayers, pensioners—every Spaniard—to join them.
“Why? Because of the situation we face all over Europe,” Martín Crespo said, “This isn’t just a Spain matter; this is about the European Union. It may seem like a lie, but Europe is being dismantled by the EU itself.” European agriculture, industry. It doesn’t matter what their ideology is, “the EU politicians are bringing us all down.” The Establishment in Europe live in their mansions, in their yachts, not in reality, he said. They are inept; useless. The EU is a puppet of millionaires, of “the four families, you know.” Their taxes and regulations are bleeding us dry. They don’t answer to us. The television, politicians, trade unions are all the same; this has to change now.”
“We Spaniards are slow to take off, but when we do, nothing can stop us. Nothing works in this country.” They say we may have to pay taxes, but we get good education, health care in the country. Everyone knows that’s not true. Millions of retirees are threatened. In the 1980’s, Spain had a middle class. A construction worker could buy his own flat. “Today no working person can afford to buy a home ever in their lives. That’s not middle class; that’s poor. Join us.…”
