· May, 2012

Stories about Western Europe from May, 2012

Portugal: Police Evicts Squatted Building in Lisbon

  31 May 2012

Going against an injunction approved by the Supreme Court of Lisbon, the police evicted today, May 31, the collective São Lázaro – “the only public squat in the capital” of Portugal. There are reports [pt] of detentions and violence. The activist platform Tugaleaks is sharing updates on its Facebook wall.

Greece: Citizens Protest Against Major TV Station

  30 May 2012

Greek netizens via Twitter and other social media organized a protest on May 17 before the MEGA TV station in Athens, under hashtag #oloimega (All to Mega). The station has been accused of allegedly displaying government driven propaganda. Stathis Kalligeris released a photo collection on Demotix, while Peru21.pe offers [es] a...

A Social Network for Wikileaks Supporters

  28 May 2012

Friends of Wikileaks (FoWL) is an independent social network for worldwide supporters of Wikileaks. People who join the site are paired with twelve others who speak the same language. FoWL groups from different countries have issued a statement of support for Julian Assange in advance of a United Kingdom supreme...

Spain: How Social Networks are Cleaning Up TV

  25 May 2012

For several years low-quality content has been broadcast in Spain. Called "telebasura" in Spanish or simply trash TV, it has been a very profitable business model for its low cost production and wide audience reach. However TV trash is in serious danger thanks to an active audience that has used the power of social networks and digital campaigns.

Italy: Army Evicts Art Workers from Occupied Building

  23 May 2012

The art worker's collective Macao in Milan, Italy were evicted from the second building they occupied in less than a month by army and police. The group aims to free more public space for the arts and highlight their precarious work conditions.

“The Most Misterious of Brazilian Writers” Receives Camões Award

  22 May 2012

Blog Semióticas [pt] celebrates this year's Camões Award – “the highest honor” for a Portuguese language writer – given to Dalton Trevisan from Curitiba, Brazil, for his “extraordinary contribute in the art of short stories”. Trevisan, “the most misterious of Brazilian writers”, is well known for his mystical reclusiveness, and refuses...

Germany: #Blockupy Protests Against Pan-European Austerity

  21 May 2012

'Blockupy' protests against the austerity measures being implemented in the Eurozone shook the financial epicenter of Europe - Frankfurt - last week. Online social networks buzzed with citizen reports on the mobilizations that occurred under massive police presence and repression.

Germany: “Rundshow” A New Social TV Format

  21 May 2012

The Bavarian broadcasting company, Bayerischer Rundfunk, in Germany recently launched a social TV experiment called “Rundshow” [de] (Roundshow). Viewers are actively incorporated into the show through virtual means such as Google Hangout, videos, an app called “Die Macht” (The Power), and Twitter. The concept of blurring the lines between TV...

Spain: 12M, a Ray of Sun in the Midst of the Crisis

  18 May 2012

On the 12th of May (12M), the Indignado movement demonstrated not only that it is alive and well, but that it continues to have strong social support. The square "Puerta del Sol" (Gate of the Sun) in Madrid is one of the symbolic centers of the movement.

Greece: New Interim Government

  17 May 2012

After the 6 May general elections in Greece and the failure of political parties to form even a coalition government, the interim government to be sworn on May 17 under Prime Minister Panagiotis Pikrammenos will lead the country to election again on June 17. Netizens are commenting on these events...

Russia: NHL Stars Return to 2012 World Hockey Championship

Undefeated after seven games, and boasting an All-Star lineup, the Russian national team will face Norway in the quarterfinal round of the 2012 World Ice Hockey Championship. Many bloggers have framed the story as a homecoming for Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin, with others reflecting on their complicated past in Russian international competition.

Ukraine: Yulia Tymoshenko's Plight and Euro 2012

There must be some corners on the web where football fans are still having apolitical discussions of Euro 2012, scheduled to take place in Poland and Ukraine from June 8 to July 1. For the past few weeks, however, the upcoming sporting event has featured prominently in arguments and discussions among those who seem more interested in the Ukrainian and European politics than sports.

Greece: TEDxThessaloniki 2012, the Courage to Create

  16 May 2012

Twelve hours long, with more than 20 speakers and performers, over 700 attendees and 5.000 livestream viewers from 57 countries; on Saturday May 12, TEDx Thessaloniki 2012 provided an inspiring intermission from the agonizing climax of the financial crisis embroiling Greece.

Spain: The “Indignados” of the 15M

  16 May 2012

We share the stories of Karlos, Mari Ángeles, Miguel Ángel and Josep Maria, whom for various reasons, have joined the social movement 15M in Barcelona, Spain.