Spain's protests get creative

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SEVILLE, Spain, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Since Spain requested a bailout from the European Union, the Spanish people have invented more and more creative means of protest to speak out.

Juan Maneul Sanchez Gordillo is a member of Andalucia's regional parliament and mayor of Marinaleda, and he is also one of the leaders of the Andalucian Workers Syndicate.

A month after Spain requested a bailout, 1,000 syndicate members occupied an estate owned by the Spanish military and demanded the land be redistributed to workers in the area. When their cries went unheard, the syndicate tried a Robin Hood approach. Members walked into grocery stores, piled carts with food and walked out to give it all to the poor.

"We robbed to give to the poor because the rich are already robbing," Sanchez Gordillo told Time. "This crisis is a great robbery."

The government arrested several syndicate members Aug. 10 and ejected them from the estate; however, Sanchez Gordillo said they have more protests in store.

Another group, Flo6x8, comprised of Seville-based flamenco dancers, airs their grievances through flash mobs.

At a Bankia branch recently, a man burst out singing in the first notes of a typical flamenco song: "You've lowered my salary and raised everything else," he belted. Meanwhile dancers stomped the floors and customers joined in clapping.

"We demand attention and say, 'Here we are, using our bodies to fight the financial system,'" said Flo6x8 member La Paca Monea.