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Geopolitics

New Demonstrations Planned As Spain Stands By Crackdown On Protesters

EL PAIS, LA VANGUARDIA, EL MUNDO (Spain)

Worldcrunch

MADRID – Protesters called for a new round of demonstrations Wednesday after a day of clashes with riot police on the streets of Madrid. The latest toll from the violence is 35 people arrested and 64 wounded, according to La Vanguardia.

The 2 most tweeted Photos of #25S #S25 so far: twitter.com/_cypherpunks_/… & twitter.com/_cypherpunks_/…V @_cypherpunks_

— Anonymous Press (@AnonymousPress) September 25, 2012

The protests come as the government prepares to unveil further austerity measures on Thursday. Protesters accused the politicians of “hijacking democracy,” and asked for the resignation of the government and the king, reports El Mundo, as well as an amendment to the constitution.

More than 1,400 riot troops were deployed as about 6,000 people marched toward the parliament, said El Pais. Among the protesters were unemployed people, students, housewives and pensioners from all around Spain.

Looks more like the Police were Kettled: -> RT @asher_wolf: Madrid, earlier. Protesters kettled. twitter.com/oscar_carrion/… #25s

— Anonymous (@AnonyOps) September 25, 2012

Although the organizers had called for a peaceful demonstration, tensions between protesters and police flared when a group of protesters tried to tear down barricades, and threw stones and bottles at the baton-wielding riot police, who charged the crowds and fired rubber bullets.

The central government representative for the Madrid region, Cristina Cifuentes, has defended the police’s actions, saying she supported them “completely,” and that they had “demonstrated professionalism in very difficult circumstances,” writes El Mundo. She said radical groups were to blame for the violence and that 265 kilos of stones were collected by police, as well as sticks and slingshots.

This is what Democracy looks like #25S (via AFP) twitter.com/HomoCarnula/st…

— Lea WeAreLegion (@HomoCarnula) September 25, 2012

The Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz condemned the use of “extreme violence” by some protesters and said the police had “done their duty” and acted “magnificently,” says La Vanguardia.

This man sustained a spinal cord injury as a result of police brutality today in Madrid . #25s Looking for vid proof. twitter.com/AgentOrchid/st…

— ao (@AgentOrchid) September 26, 2012

#25s: another photo from El Pais showing protesters attending to a young man bleeding from the face: twitter.com/Igualitarista/…

— David Ferreira (@Igualitarista) September 25, 2012

Barcelona’s newspaper La Vanguardia has a gallery of photos from the protest, as well as one posted on Flickr.

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Migrant Lives

They Migrated From Chiapas When Opportunities Dried Up, Orchids Brought Them Home

An orchid rehabilitation project is turning a small Mexican community into a tourist magnet — and attracting far-flung locals back to their hometown.

They Migrated From Chiapas When Opportunities Dried Up, Orchids Brought Them Home

Marcos Aguilar Pérez takes care of orchids rescued from the rainforest in his backyard in Santa Rita Las Flores, Mapastepec, Chiapas, Mexico.

Adriana Alcázar González/GPJ Mexico
Adriana Alcázar González

MAPASTEPEC — Sweat cascades down Candelaria Salas Gómez’s forehead as she separates the bulbs of one of the orchids she and the other members of the Santa Rita Las Flores Community Ecotourism group have rescued from the rainforest. The group houses and protects over 1,000 orchids recovered from El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve, in the southeastern Mexican state of Chiapas, after powerful storms.

“When the storms and heavy rains end, we climb to the vicinity of the mountains and collect the orchids that have fallen from the trees. We bring them to Santa Rita, care for them, and build their strength to reintegrate them into the reserve later,” says Salas Gómez, 32, as she attaches an orchid to a clay base to help it recover.

Like magnets, the orchids of Santa Rita have exerted a pull on those who have migrated from the area due to lack of opportunity. After years away from home, Salas Gómez was one of those who returned, attracted by the community venture to rescue these flowers and exhibit them as a tourist attraction, which provides residents with an adequate income.

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