Stories about Western Europe from May, 2012
Portugal: Police Evicts Squatted Building in Lisbon
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
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
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...
Video: Media Portrayals of Cities in the Global South
How do international media represent cities in South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East? Is it fair or helpful to development? A symposium of scholars from the London School of Economics in London, United Kingdom explore this topic. See video.
Mali: A President Assaulted, a Nation in Turmoil
A rapidly escalating crisis has taken over Mali, including a recent assault on the interim president in his palace. All indicators seem to point towards a prolonged situation, although voices are calling for unity.
Spain: How Social Networks are Cleaning Up TV
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.
Germany: Wanted Posters Against Delivery of Tanks to Saudi Arabia
The Center for Political Beauty in Germany is creating a buzz with its "wanted" campaign. Its goal is to convict shareholders of the weapons manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and to put a stop to planned tank deliveries to Saudi Arabia.
Video: How Societies Work – a Look at Unconventional Arrangements
The VJ Movement has partnered with the London School of Economics to bring us videos and stories that attempt to show how societies in conflict and crisis-affected areas across the globe are facing their futures.
Italy: Army Evicts Art Workers from Occupied Building
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
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...
United Kingdom: App for Sharing Mobile Videos for Collaboration
The Next Web analyzes how the new UK app Vyclone could have helped get more footage of Arab Spring or the Occupy Movement onto mainstream news channels, and if it could do the same for future newsworthy events.
Germany: #Blockupy Protests Against Pan-European Austerity
'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
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
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
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.
Russia: State TV Justifies May 6 Police Violence, Cites Spanish Bill Criminalizing Online Protest Organization as Example
In the final segment of the report [ru] on the May 6 protest in Moscow, which ended in clashes with riot police, the Russian state-owned Channel 1 mentioned, among other things, a Spanish draft law [en] criminalizing online organization of public protests, as an example of the “much tougher” treatment...
Greece: TEDxThessaloniki 2012, the Courage to Create
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
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.
Norway: Discussing Latin America at the Oslo Freedom Forum
Last week the fourth gathering of the Oslo Freedom Forum was carried out, organized by the Human Rights Foundation in the Norwegian capital. The event covered a series of topics that involved other world regions, including Latin America.
