ਬੀਤ ਚੱਲੇ ਵਰ੍ਹੇ ਦੇ ਕੁਝ ਨਜ਼ਾਰੇ
A man sets himself on fire outside a bank branch in Thessaloniki in northern Greece September 16, 2011. The 55-year old man had entered the bank and asked for a renegotiation of his overdue loan payments on his home and business, according to police, which he could not pay, but was refused by the bank
Photographs: Reuters
Photographs: Reuters
Photographer Nodas Stylianidis's note:
"I was doing some paperwork in my office which is located a few meters away from the bank. At some point I heard someone yelling, I looked out of my window and I saw the man protesting outside the bank while it was obvious that he was threatening to set himself on fire.
I picked a camera and ran out. When I arrived I saw him pouring gasoline on himself and after a few seconds he set himself ablaze. Police, who had already been watching him, rushed to extinguish the fire. The man survived but with serious injuries".
"I was doing some paperwork in my office which is located a few meters away from the bank. At some point I heard someone yelling, I looked out of my window and I saw the man protesting outside the bank while it was obvious that he was threatening to set himself on fire.
I picked a camera and ran out. When I arrived I saw him pouring gasoline on himself and after a few seconds he set himself ablaze. Police, who had already been watching him, rushed to extinguish the fire. The man survived but with serious injuries".
Photographer Susana Vera's note:
"Mirroring the popular uprisings in the northern African countries, this past spring young Spaniards resorted to social networking to voice their worries over their bleak futures and express their demands for real democracy. First, they marched together on May 15 in Spain's main cities to protest against the government's handling of the economic crisis. That same night, and spontaneously, they started packing squares with tents across the country ahead of local and regional elections. Madrid's Puerta del Sol square became the symbol of what the media called "15M" or the "indignant" movement. It was there where hundreds of people camped out for a month to voice their anger over a democratic system that has failed them.
The strength of the movement took politicians, the general public and the media by surprise. No one is too sure how much of an impact it will have in the long run, but everyone has learned it is a force to be reckoned with. As a photojournalist, but also as a Spaniard fed up with political corruption and social injustice, it was exciting to cover the story as it unfolded. In May I was witness to the birth of a small parallel society in Madrid's Puerta del Sol where nothing was done without reaching a consensus. It was the closest I have been to a participatory democracy, where everyone is welcomed to take part in the decision making process.
The biggest challenge has been keeping a fresh eye day after day as well as dealing with demonstrators giving photographers a hard time for doing our job. No one complained at the beginning of our coverage. As a matter of fact, many were thankful we were helping them by spreading the word out of Spain. But after the first week the uncomfortable life on the square got the best of them and tension within the group made them grow wary of us, even hostile at times.
Overall, it was an incredibly interesting experience, not only photographically, but on a human level. It felt like documenting Spanish history, my history, in the making."