THE PEOPLE’S FLAG WILL BE DELIVERED PRESENTLY

 
Today is Hispanic Day in Spain, a national holiday marking the arrival of the Spanish supported Genovese explorer Christopher Columbus in the Americas.

In Madrid this is the cause of much national pride, with military parades, regal flag-raising, fighter jet fly-pasts and so forth. This being contrary Catalunya, such displays of Spanish pride are shunned, though people do seem happy enough to take the day off work anyway.

A few brave souls were trying to reignite Barcelona’s dwindling revolutionary fevour, with a rally though the city centre. Quite what they were protesting against was unclear; the shouts were of anti-fascism, though despite the history of Spain and Catalunya, I am not entirely sure that there is really a lurking fascist threat. Though maybe it is best to be prepared in case someone is planning to reintroduce blue shirts and goose-stepping. The ban on wearing bikinis in the city centre could be the thin end of the totalitarian wedge!

Either that or they have just got tired of shouting at bankers.   

Calls for the whole world to take to the streets fell largely on deaf ears, despite the valiant efforts of the diehard protestors who turned up early in  La Plaça de la Universitat to rally the faithful and paint some banners. 

The media threatened to outnumber the motley collection of old hippies, even older commies, radical chic sensation seekers, earnest and well-meaning oddballs and dreadlocked willowy white girls looking for a boyfriend, that wandered cheerfully around town bemusement of shoppers. The locals seem to regard the Marxist marchers with the same sort of nostalgic indulgence that Londoners show to old school punks.

Even the handful of black clad anarchists hanging around the back of the parade in the hope of a scrap with the police scowled with embarrassment at the lightweight nature of the parade.

Barcelona used to be able to field a much feistier breed of protestor; in the good old days McDonalds kept the glaziers on speed-dial.

Update: Catalan friends are now claiming Christopher Colombus, or "Colom", was a Catalan. There is some evidence to support the theory here.