Pedro Walpole SJ Half a million people marched in the evening light of 6 December along Paseo del Prado in the center of Madrid. A few groups of small children with their parents and teachers had their little placards and enjoyed the excitement. It was apeaceful, celebratory event with cheers and chants but clearly with a challenge. There were something like 4,000 protests around the world on the same day; peaceful yet marginal to the urgent political action needed in addressing the climate emergency at COP25. The weight of the marchers’ message should not be lost however in the moment of festivity, without any balloons of course. 2011 saw the start of the Spanish Spring, the 15 M movement and what became the Occupy Movement; in itself sparking several other social upheavals in our time. Probably the youth unemployment figures of 40% for Spain have not changed much (even through recognizing the seasonal subsistence work). It doesn’t take much to connect the disillusionment with government non-action around the world. What was it last year? The Yellow Jackets (or Vests) in Paris protesting increases, putting the cost of an unsustainable economy on the wrong people and now it’s another sector affected
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