Pilar Velasco

Pilar Velasco Acedo was born in Madrid, where she later studied journalism. She has been working for Cadena SER, the oldest Spanish national radio station, since 2006. She writes for various digital publications. Pilar Velasco also wrote political reports for Interviú magazine and worked for various TV stations. She attended studies in the USA, Spain and made her Erasmus schoolarship in Romania. She was invited by cultural collectives in Serbia and has participated in youth meetings across Latin America. Velasco has investigated, cover and reveal some of the most important public and political corruption scandals and processes in Spain. Because of her works, she has receive the Personal Compromise Prize from Urban Debates Club.

In 2005, she published “Jóvenes, aunque sobradamente cabreados” (tr.: Young people, yet angry), a book about the political awakening of the young generation while the conservative People’s Party, Partido Popular, ruled Spain with an absolute majority, until the Socialist PSOE won the elections in 2004. The Spanish protest movement, which assembled under the motto “Democracia Real Ya” (tr.: Real Democacy Now!), organized rallies in the streets all over Spain, including Puerta del Sol square in Madrid, since 15 M (15 May 2011.) Pilar Velasco covered the movement of indignados since the beginning. Her book “No nos representan: el manifiesto de los indignados en 25 propuestas” (2011; tr.: They don’t represent us. A manifest of the indignados in 25 proposals) is the result of national debates and workshops, and summarizes the message of the protesters. In its wording and content it is straightforward and challenging: “The indignados want a new system, and they know it can be done. They have brought the message from the Plaza del Sol to the world: We want it all, and we want it now.” The book represents her journalist activities in the 15M social movement. The 25 proposals cover the whole range of topics discussed those weeks. As they said: “they demand a reform of the electoral law and the introduction of a participatory democracy; independent judges and political transparency; an end to privileges for politicians. They also consider our economic demands are directed against privatization and neoliberalism […] That´s why they are against the EU pact. In the educational sector they criticize the Bologna process in Europe, and demand a laical educational system in Spain and criticize the role of traditional media and use new digital media. They want to switch to renewable energies, and increase of social justice, and for women to count as much as men.” One year after the Indignados movement, the proposals are still astoundingly topical.

Jóvenes, aunque sobradamente cabreados
Ediciones B
Madrid/Barcelona, 2005

No nos representan:
el manifiesto de los indignados en 25 propuestas
Ediciones Temas de Hoy
Barcelona, 2011