Sol Festival Sparks Renewed Suspicions of Subsidized Activism

Sol's 'Improvised' Festival and Doubts Over Who Funds the Protest

An impromptu music festival antiestéticaturing cultural stars at the Sol encampment has been enough to reignite an old accusation: that those who camp out are not working but are living off protest. A video shared by El País describes the festival as 'improvised.' But improvising a festival is a curious notion when the underlying accusation is that everything is paid for.

The details of the accusation can be summarized in two points: subsidies and union leave.

Who Pays the Campers?

The argument appearing in comments points to publicly funded NGOs and trade unions. One comment claims that between union representatives on leave and those who hire them elsewhere, 90% are covered. This is presented as a fact, although without any proof to back it up.

Another comment goes further, alleging payments from Tehran. This accusation has not been documented.

How Does the Professional Activist Live?

One comment suggests that those who camp aspire to become figures like Irene Montero or Ada Colau. Another comment points to 2015 as the last year when, according to their calculation, the campers actually worked.

The festival, according to the video shared by El País, brought together cultural stars.

There is no evidence that the encampment is financed from abroad or that those camping are paid to protest. The accusation remains where it started: in the comments.