Indignados Movement (15M) (Spain)

The Indignados movement was a protest movement that emerged in Spain in May 2011 as part of an extensive cycle of contention against austerity policies, the corruption of political authorities, and the democratic deficiencies of the Spanish political system. In turn, the mobilization of the Spanish Indignados was set in the context of a transnational wave of protest against austerity and for democracy, in which diffusion they played an important role. The massive mobilization of the Indignados attracted international attention and their demands obtained overwhelming public support. The movement consequences have been important at different levels. The rise of the Indignados caused a change in the domestic field of social movements with the emergence of new contentious actors and the strengthening of existing ones. Participation in the movement contributed to the spreading of values linked to deliberative democracy among the citizenry. Mobilization also contributed to a symbolic reframing of the causes and consequences of the economic crisis. The emergence over time of new political parties linked in some way to the movement has led to an important change in the Spanish party system.