“Being few in number does not take away rights” was one of the slogans with which the social and political movements that are part of the Revolt of Empty Spain defended their demands against depopulation and abandonment of rural areas . Five and a half years after the activation of this network from different citizen movements and after results, in its political and electoral aspect, which did not meet its expectations, the “wear and tear” of the movement is evident, but also its commitment to reactivate and remain firm.
This was evident during the VI General Assembly of the Revolt held in Albarracín (Teruel). From this new meeting a very specific political demand was born: that 2% of the Spanish gross domestic product (GDP) be allocated to the so-called “forgotten territories” for 25 years. But alongside this claim to “star”, there was enough self-criticism to “look within ourselves and continue”.
Milagros Herreros, responsible in the province of Cuenca for E-20, the council which articulates the representations of the social movements belonging to the Revolt of Empty Spain, explains that a new strategy also emerged from this assembly for the “reactivation of the citizen movement.
“Throughout these five and a half years, we have witnessed a coming and going of associations and groups. Many of them left the action for different reasons, but mainly because maintaining the association is very hard. There are movements that are very strong in their objectives, like the Living Cities of Cuenca, but the problems are very diverse and knowing how to reactivate is a constant work for which we must know who we have.
The original “mixture”
Let us recall in this regard that the large demonstration in Madrid in March 2019, which marked the signal for the start of the Revolt, was a “mixture”. More than a hundred platforms participated, but not all subsequently obtained representation within the E-20, while others “benefited from the attraction” but then abandoned the movement. “We knew that discouragement would eventually arrive, compared to the strength we had in 2019. This movement is very expensive to maintain, it is absolute altruism.”
But the Revolt learned its lessons from all this and it was reflected in the General Assembly. “Those who stayed showed a lot of strength, even running for office, but now we need to strengthen the social movement. And this is done by entering into contact with the platforms and associations which participated in this revolt and which we can still save, but at the same time by carrying out a more participatory action with the opening of a new stage so that all their demands can happen. “.
Milagros Herreros, also a member of the Cuenca Ahora organization, who was present at the assembly, considers that sometimes “the concrete” has been lost by “always going to the general” and that now it is time for the E-20 to serve to help groups of citizens who need solutions in a very direct way. “This is what we need to know to be able to provide support.”
He cites as an example the numerous associations which fight against mining, against energy companies, against macro-farms or for a health center or a bus stop. “We must accommodate these requests. We must work from the big to reach the small.
In reality, the E-20 now seeks to ensure that the demands of “those most affected by depopulation” have the support of the movement. “We need to support groups who are fighting for something and often don’t know where to turn. The Revolt becomes this instrument. The idea is that the movement is credible and serves to help people. What happens in one city can happen in many others and we must collect these demands.”
The social aspect of the Revolt of Empty Spain does not ignore that the political situation is not the best. At the assembly, it was also clear that the financing, the deficit trajectory and the permanent blockage of the government “benefit no one, but even less the villages which suffer from depopulation”. This is where the political demand for 2% of GDP comes from.
“At the end of the day, the only thing we can do is ask for it. But we can’t stay there. » This is why, to social reactivation, they add the requirement that the doors of administrations be open to citizen movements. Because “now, this is no longer the case” and this is precisely the origin of the movement: asking solutions from those who can provide them.
There is no legislation to address the scale of ruin affecting a city. This has a negative impact on the construction of new housing.
There are issues such as housing policies that “can’t wait any longer”. Within the Assembly, the state of disrepair in which many properties in rural areas find themselves was addressed in a very concrete way. These are houses that cannot be rehabilitated because they are private properties whose owner is unknown. “There is no legislation to address the scale of ruin affecting a city. This has a negative impact on the construction of new housing. And to all this is added the state of monuments, installations and future projects.
Despite everything, Milagros Herreros emphasizes: “We are strong and we will continue to fight. » With this objective, they are preparing the state mobilization of October 5, which is part of the annual demonstrations in dozens of cities under the initiative “I stop for my people” and which this year will focus on the defense of health public.
Representatives of the SOS Talavera and Comarca association also participated in the assembly of Albarracín, the voice of the people of empty Spain in this region. Its spokesperson, Óscar Muñoz, shares Milagros Herreros’ self-criticism. “This issue has been widely discussed and we need to create momentum. But we also understood that political polarization doesn’t help. Finding your place among so much noise is difficult.
He also explains that this meeting served to share once again all the transport, communications, health and housing problems of empty Spain, as well as other struggles such as the movement against macro-farms or the “invasive” installation of renewable energy parks.
“We must clarify all these requests and respond to them. Let’s not forget that we represent 70 percent of the population and that concrete problems are ignored. Depopulation continues to exist. This has not disappeared since the start of the movement in 2019. Quite the contrary.”
An argument against “singular” financing for Catalonia
Precisely, this week again, depopulation has acquired a certain importance in the political field, at least in Castile-La Mancha. The regional president, Emiliano García-Page, stressed that this region already devotes “one euro in four” of its budget to the fight against depopulation “directly or indirectly”.
His words coincided with the presence at the headquarters of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) of the first vice-president, José Luis Martínez Guijarro, who linked this issue to the “unique” financing negotiated for Catalonia. According to him, this agreement is “incompatible” with covering the needs of rural and depopulated areas, where the cost of public services is higher.
With this, the regional government not only maintains the repeated argument about the additional cost of providing services in areas affected by depopulation, but according to a study by the Government of Castilla-La Mancha, a health card in Molina de Aragón (Guadalajara) costs the Administration up to five times more than in the capital Guadalajara and a student in the educational system of this same city, one of the most depopulated areas in the region, costs the Castillano-Manchegan Junta three times more expensive than in the city of Guadalajara.
The VI Assembly of the Revolt of Empty Spain also addressed the need to rediscover and improve dialogue with institutions, with the monitoring of agreements or commitments made. And regarding the way in which the new regional financing model is proposed, they also took a position (criticism included) when talking about depopulated areas.
They demand that the central government keeps its promises regarding the provision of public services without users having to make trips exceeding 30 minutes or the evaluation of public policies through the rural guarantee mechanism, among others.
Finally, they agreed to hold their assembly next year in the region of Molina de Aragón, in the province of Guadalajara and at the “zero kilometer of depopulation”. In fact, another representation at the meeting was that of La Otra Guadalajara, a citizen initiative that works for the development of this region.
