2011 Portuguese protests
Encyclopedia
The 2011 March Portuguese protests, also referred to as the Geração à Rasca (Portuguese
for desperate generation) protests or Movimento 12 de Março was a series of protests in over 10 cities of Portugal over the economic crisis
in Portugal.
's song "Parva Que Sou", talking about precarious working conditions Portuguese youth, in particular qualified university graduates, endure. Other inspiration for the protests came from Homens da Luta
, a comedian duo that won the Festival da Canção with a song about the "joy of the struggle," emulating social protests of the 1960s.
Facebook
and other social media
networks were also used to organise protests.
The protests also occurred during an election
that was called after the failure to pass austerity measures in parliament.
and Lisbon
alone. Protests also occurred in several other Portuguese cities, Funchal
, Ponta Delgada
, Viseu
, Braga
, Castelo Branco
, Coimbra
, Faro
, Guimarães
e Leiria
. Several Portuguese emigrants also gathered in front of the embassies of their country of residence to protest in Barcelona, London, Berlin, The Hague, Madrid, Lubliana, Luxemburg, Brussels, Maputo, New York, Copenhagen and Stuttgart.
against the usual suspects. Hundreds broke through a police cordon around the parliament in Lisbon to occupy its broad marble staircase. About 20,000 people also rallied in Oporto, Portugal's second city.
were influenced by the Portuguese protests, which in turn incited new protests in Portugal.
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
for desperate generation) protests or Movimento 12 de Março was a series of protests in over 10 cities of Portugal over the economic crisis
Economy of Portugal
The Economy of Portugal is a high income mixed economy. The Global Competitiveness Report 2008-2009 edition placed Portugal in the 43rd position out of 134 countries and territories....
in Portugal.
Background
The protest was inspired by DeolindaDeolinda
Deolinda is a Portuguese quartet band founded in 2006 when brothers Pedro da Silva Martins and Luis José Martins invited their cousin, Ana Bacalhau, who was then singing with the band Lupanar, to sing four songs they had written. When they realized that her voice perfectly fit their songs they...
's song "Parva Que Sou", talking about precarious working conditions Portuguese youth, in particular qualified university graduates, endure. Other inspiration for the protests came from Homens da Luta
Homens da Luta
Homens da Luta is a Portuguese improvisational comedy and musical street performance group consisting of brothers Vasco Duarte and Nuno Duarte "Jel"...
, a comedian duo that won the Festival da Canção with a song about the "joy of the struggle," emulating social protests of the 1960s.
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and other social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
networks were also used to organise protests.
The protests also occurred during an election
Portuguese legislative election, 2011
A general election was held in Portugal on 5 June 2011 to elect all 230 members of the Assembly of the Republic. Pedro Passos Coelho led the center-right Social Democratic Party to victory over the Socialist Party, led by incumbent Prime Minister José Sócrates...
that was called after the failure to pass austerity measures in parliament.
The Spring
Around 200,000 people gathered on 12 March in PortoPorto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
and Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
alone. Protests also occurred in several other Portuguese cities, Funchal
Funchal
Funchal is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira. The city has a population of 112,015 and has been the capital of Madeira for more than five centuries.-Etymology:...
, Ponta Delgada
Ponta Delgada
Ponta Delgada is a city and municipality on the island of São Miguel in the archipelago of the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal. It includes 44,403 residents in the urban area, and approximately 20,113 inhabitants in the three central parishes that comprise the historical city: São Pedro,...
, Viseu
Viseu
Viseu is both a city and a municipality in the Dão-Lafões Subregion of Centro Region, Portugal. The municipality, with an area of 507.1 km², has a population of 99,593 , and the city proper has 47,250...
, Braga
Braga
Braga , a city in the Braga Municipality in northwestern Portugal, is the capital of the Braga District, the oldest archdiocese and the third major city of the country. Braga is the oldest Portuguese city and one of the oldest Christian cities in the World...
, Castelo Branco
Castelo Branco, Portugal
The city of Castelo Branco is made up of one parish with a population of 30,649.It is located in Castelo Branco Municipality in Castelo Branco District.-History and landmarks:...
, Coimbra
Coimbra
Coimbra is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, it is better-known for its university, the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the...
, Faro
Faro, Portugal
Faro is the southernmost city in Portugal. It is located in the Faro Municipality in southern Portugal. The city proper has 41,934 inhabitants and the entire municipality has 58,305. It is the seat of the Faro District and capital of the Algarve region...
, Guimarães
Guimarães
Guimarães Municipality is located in northwestern Portugal in the province of Minho and in the Braga District. It contains the city of Guimarães.The present Mayor is António Magalhães Silva, elected by the Socialist Party.-Parishes:-Economy:...
e Leiria
Leiria
Leiria is a city in Leiria Municipality in the Centro Region, Portugal. It is the capital of Leiria District. The city proper has 50,200 inhabitants and the entire municipality has nearly 120,000...
. Several Portuguese emigrants also gathered in front of the embassies of their country of residence to protest in Barcelona, London, Berlin, The Hague, Madrid, Lubliana, Luxemburg, Brussels, Maputo, New York, Copenhagen and Stuttgart.
As part of the 15 October Movement
Over 40,000 people marched in Lisbon as part of a 15 October global day of protest15 October 2011 global protests
The 15 October 2011 global protests were part of a series of protests inspired by the Arab Spring, the Spanish "Indignants", the Greek Protests and the Occupy movement. Global demonstrations were held on October 15 in more than 950 cities 82 countries. The date was chosen to coincide with the 5...
against the usual suspects. Hundreds broke through a police cordon around the parliament in Lisbon to occupy its broad marble staircase. About 20,000 people also rallied in Oporto, Portugal's second city.
Impact
Spain's May protests2011 Spanish protests
The 2011 Spanish protests, also referred to as the 15-M Movement and the Indignants movement, are a series of ongoing demonstrations in Spain whose origin can be traced to social networks and Real Democracy NOW among other civilian digital platforms and 200 other small associations...
were influenced by the Portuguese protests, which in turn incited new protests in Portugal.