By Sveinung Legard, New Compass
From the main square Puerto del Sol in Madrid, to Syntagmasquare in Athens, Rossio square in Lisbon and other central squares in major cities throughout Europe, popular assemblies have been convened to discuss pressing economic and political issues, to place demands on governments, and to decide on the future actions of these movements.
Several commentators have pointed to the freshness of these assemblies; their openness and creativity, their spirit of solidarity, and respect for the diversity of opinions. And indeed, these assemblies are a refreshing and innovative alternative to the charade of conventional parliamentary politics. These assemblies derive not only from the initiative of their protagonists but also from the history of the major revolutions in Europe from the 18th to the 20th century and uprisings against dictatorships and neoliberal regimes in the 21st century, in which popular assemblies have recurrently been a vehicle for social movements to advance their goals.
What is a Popular Assembly?
Before we look at some of these examples, what is a popular assembly? A popular assembly is a space that is open to all citizens from a certain area, be it a neighborhood, city, or a broader region. This space is used by the citizens to discuss matters that are important to themselves, and to decide on how to act to solve these issues. The assembly may make its decisions through a vote, or try to come to an agreement that is acceptable to all (often calledconsensus). The most important feature of a people´s assembly is that decisions are made in a directly democratic manner, meaning that each participating citizen holds an equal amount of power in the assembly.
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