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Monday, March 20, 2006

El Botellon

The competition between young people of various cities in Spain to see where could be congregated the greatest number of people willing to bring his own great bottle of liquor and drink without inhibition during a Friday night, has got a wide coverage in the foreign medias.

In some towns the professional rioters took over the action, burning rubbish containers, breaking the windows of nearby shops and charging against the police, conveniently positioned. In Barcelona and Salamanca 81 people were injured and 70 detained.

Young people may do as they like for me, even if it is nothing more boldly than drinking themselves from all senses and breaking some windows in shops.

What I like to protest against, is the term “ancient tradition of Spanish youth” that part of the foreign media has been minting to explain the “botellon”.

The “botellon” is not one of the old Spanish traditions, it is not more than ten to fifteen years of age, and could develop in any of the modern societies where young people are left without ideals, with little hope of a sensible employment and a craving for expressing their feelings against all kind of authority.