Activists from Climate Alliance (Spain) lead the September 15 march for climate justice in central Madrid. (All photos of the march courtesy of the author)

“De norte al sur, de este al oeste, la lucha sigue, cueste lo que cueste! (From north to south, from east to west, the struggle continues, whatever it takes!)” With this and other slogans ringing in the air, hundreds of activists of all ages filled the streets of downtown Madrid, Spain, on September 15 to demand rapid decarbonization and climate justice. At a time when news reports here are filled with stories of floods, fires, and killer storms throughout the wider Mediterranean region, Madrid’s 15S Climate March provided a much-needed dose of what is usually missing from those reports: a clear-eyed look at the policy steps that must be taken in order to face down our climate crisis.

Digital poster advertising the September 15 march in Madrid. (Instagram: @fridaysformadrid)

A global mobilization

The recent catastrophic flooding in the Libyan city of Derna provided an apocalyptic backdrop for Spain’s participation in the weekend’s Global Fight to End Fossil Fuels. Demanding a “Fast, Fair, Forever” approach to rapid decarbonization, the global mobilization featured dozens of events from California and Bolivia to Malawi and Indonesia.

In the press release announcing the action, organizers noted that their effort “opposes the fossil fuel industry, which has made obscene profits at the expense of the world’s people, biodiversity and a safe and liveable climate” and “calls on governments and companies to immediately end fossil fuel expansion and subsidies.”

Youth at the forefront

Before starting the march, participants gathered in Madrid’s Plaza Mayor, where tourists snapping selfies looked on curiously at the mix of young climate activists, seasoned leftists, union members, and others who showed up to lend their support.

A few minutes before the marchers started exiting the plaza, I had the chance to speak with three young women who were part of the coalition organizing the march. They were also the three plenary speakers who read out the action’s statement and list of demands at the end of the event.

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“There is no planet B!”

Led by the young climate activists, the march wound its way through the city’s historic center past corner bars, luxury hotels, and eventually Spain’s parliament building, where marchers serenaded the politicians with a chant of “Señores diputados, ¿qué pasa con los grados?” (a reference to the global temperatures - los grados - that keep rising while global elites remain mired in their national political battles and their addiction to fossil fuel money.

Marchers in front of the Congress of Deputies, Spain’s national parliament.

In addition to the main organizers (Fridays for Future Madrid and Alianza por el Clima), those participating in the march included anti-capitalist groups, mainstream environmentalists such as Greenpeace, and local mainstays Ecologists in Action, who have been providing strong leadership and expertise to the climate justice movement in Spain since 1998.

As the sound of drums echoed through the streets, marchers raised their voices to affirm that “No hay planeta B! (There is no planet B!).” Others chanted, “Ni un grado más, ni una especia menos!” (Not one more degree, not one fewer species!)” and “Si la tierra fuera un banco, ya lo habrían rescatado! (If the earth were a bank, they would have rescued it by now!)”

As an officially registered event, the march had a small police escort, with officers mostly watching from a distance at the front of the crowd. After the march passed the parliament and turned around at the city’s iconic Neptune Fountain, however, the police set up barricades to block the people from returning. At that point, the organizers at the head of the march walked up to the barricades, then turned around to create a powerful visual while the plenary speakers read out their declaration.

Like the entire march, this final moment was a clear and poignant reminder of the gap that continues to exist between the people’s desire for a livable climate supported by a just set of environmental policies and a political class that can’t seem to push past half-measures and empty promises. As Spain’s political system remains paralyzed by an inconclusive election result and the possibility of another national vote in January, the people’s representatives would do well to heed the words of the young activists who led this inspiring mobilization.