Jackie was part of a group of activists, coordinated by Global Justice Now, visiting radical groups in Barcelona. Barcelona has a history of alternative thinking arising from the Spanish Civil War. Jackie talked about community programmes, local activists taking political power, visits to social justice squats, and other actions. She guided our discussions on what this could mean to our community in Reading. The photo shows firefighters demonstrating against austerity. Despite many competing events we had a very good turnout of around 30 at RISC, attracting also a group of interested Spanish and Catalonian students, mainly from Reading University. Jackie made a strong case for the success of community groups, working in solidarity in communes, providing workshops and radical political education, and achieving positive and tangible support from the politicicians in Barcelona. She set this within the context of radical movements in the histroy of Barcelona. She mentioned the rapid success of the Mayor and other Barcelonian positicians being recently elected after a short but well-orchestrated campaign. To see how radical campaigners are dealing with the real complex world of local politics is a great opportunity to match principles of justice against conflicting demands. Her talk provoked a lively discussion, including the significance of solidarity and maintaining an education programme. All in all, a very successful meeting.
