The encampments and the pigs who thought they were 'more equal' than the others

One of the pillars of any democratic state is that all citizens are equal before the law, regardless of their ideology.

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However, for years, the Spanish left has interpreted this equality before the law to suit its own convenience, in a manner that could be summarized by that famous line from George Orwell's "Animal Farm": "All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others." This latter qualification was added by the pigs, whom Orwell identified with the elite of Stalinist communism.

One need not look far back in time to find events illustrating this highly asymmetrical concept of equality. Last Saturday, a far-left demonstration in Madrid gave way to a large-scale encampment at the Puerta del Sol, emulating the famous 2011 "Indignados" movement encampment that ultimately catapulted the far-left party Podemos to prominence. Pedro Sánchez's government permitted this encampment, even though it far exceeded the scheduled duration for the event, which it had announced that it would end at 10:00 p.m. Government-controlled Televisión Española and left-wing media outlets have given extensive coverage to the encampment, in a blatant attempt to promote it.

The regulations regarding camping in the Community of Madrid are very clear. In Article 2, Decree 7/1993—approved when the PSOE was governing the region—expressly prohibits camping events involving more than 200 people, "except in exceptional cases duly justified in the resolution authorizing said activity." There are currently more than 300 tents at the far-left encampment in Puerta del Sol. Furthermore, Article 4 of Decree 26/2025 states: "Unregulated camping is prohibited throughout the territory of the Community of Madrid." Thus, the encampment the far left has set up in Puerta del Sol is illegal.

Yesterday, Madrid City Council pointed out the illegality of that encampment and denounced the failure to act by the Government Delegation, led by the Socialist Francisco Martín Aguirre. This politician has held the aforementioned post since March 2023. He made headlines in November 2023 when he forbade a group of Catholics from praying on Ferraz street near the PSOE headquarters, claiming the gathering failed to meet notification deadlines. Acting on orders from the Government Delegate, the police threatened that group of Catholics with fines if they proceeded to pray as announced. This is the same Government Delegate who, on Saturday, ordered the police to withdraw and allow the setup of an illegal encampment at Puerta del Sol, and who is now refusing to clear the square.

I will conclude these lines with a rhetorical question: how long would an illegal encampment last on Ferraz Street or at Moncloa, in front of the palace that serves as Pedro Sánchez’s residence? Francisco Martín Aguirre has ordered the police to crack down on protests for far less than that. Ultimately, what the socialist-communist coalition government is doing in Spain is turning left-wing activists into privileged citizens who receive scandalous and illegal preferential treatment—who are, in short, like those pigs in Orwell’s novel who believed themselves to be "more equal" than the rest.

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Image: Meta.ai, based on a photo by Europa Press.