15-M activists plot to go global this weekend

The Spain-founded 15-M movement aims to go international this weekend as it takes its call for more representative democracy to 45 countries under the banner "United for global change."

Reinventing itself via #soy15O - as the associated Twitter hashtag has been named - the group is planning demonstrations for October 15 in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Elda (Alicante), Gran Canaria and Ourense, running to a total of 60 marches around the country. On top of that, it is also planning protests in Tijuana (Mexico), Anchorage (Alaska), Hong Kong and Johannesburg, among many others, totaling at least 350 across the globe.

The aim is to send an emphatic message to politicians and the financial elite: "The ruling powers work for the benefit of just a few, ignoring the will of the vast majority and the human and environmental price we all have to pay. This intolerable situation must end," explains the manifesto for the worldwide event at http://15october.net, which has been translated into 18 languages.

Before the summer, 15-M activists announced a European-wide protest for the autumn. They looked for a month when the 15th fell on a weekend and chose October 15: 15-O. Little by little, the event has spread over half the world.