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HOME AND OFFICE DEMOS AGAINST NOVARTIS IN SPAIN

Friday, 25th September

Madrid, Spain.
 
We met at 7.00am at the meeting point and we made our way to the action zone. While some of us were waiting for the rest of the activists, some police cars started arriving. At 7.30am the police came, asked us for documentation and started searching some of our backpacks.
 
On our way to Sandoz -Novartis a police van passed us. Once at the demo we realised that instead of 1 security guard there were four, apart from other people in suits. The gates, which are normally open, were closed that day. It did not stop us protesting and so we spread out along the fence/entrance with our placards.

As well as using placards and handing out leaflets to the workers who were coming in, we used our megaphones exposing HLS and their clients. One of the security guards at the entrance was taking the workers’ leaflets from them and binning them. Some of us decided to follow everyone who was coming in (workers and business people arriving by car or by walking). We chanted “Sandoz, Novartis, torture animals”, “HLS close them down” as well as reading the leaflets on the megaphone.
 
Some activists started ringing the bells until the police blocked our way. After the short lunch break we went back to the action zone. Fortunately the police were gone and it was the time for the workers to come out. In the middle of chanting slogans a security guard opened the gate to allow the workers to leave, which was the moment for us to try to come in. But the security guards stopped us pushing us back, being extremely violent. They even broke one of our megaphones.
 
After the protests the police followed us. That shows our protest was effective and we really bothered Sandoz-Novartis.

During the weekend we also protested at the entrance home of the director of Novartis in Spain: Francisco Ballester. There was no incident this time.

SHAC Spain