The viral gathering nobody can locate

Sol or Paris: the viral gathering and the theories around it

Who is at Puerta del Sol? Hours after the images circulated, the question still has no verifiable answer. A message spread on social media claims that at the gathering there is no one “normal” and that those who appear have, in its author's judgment, obvious mental problems. There is not a single piece of data to back it up. Two others have been built on that claim: that the gathering is not in Madrid and that it is all part of an artificial operation.

The location nobody confirms: Sol or Paris?

The first thing that starts to wobble is the geography. That's not in Sol —or at least that's not how it looks to whoever is commenting—, and in the comments there are those who claim the scene is in Paris. Neither version is verified; both circulate just as easily. The image has become a puzzle from which each side draws the conclusion that suits it.

5G and the vaccine: theories without any proof

Part of the comment attributes the phenomenon to extraordinary causes: that behaviours would be mentally induced by 5G, that someone is creating that atmosphere artificially, or that the vaccine is behind the behaviour. They are hypotheses repeated without providing a single study, figure or specific case. They are launched as suspicion and consumed as certainty. When the slightest backing is requested, the argument shifts to another ground.

The bill being cited: petrol at 2,50 and CPI at 5%

Faced with the theories, there is an economic reading with figures on the table. The price of petrol is approaching 2,50 euros per litre and CPI is heading toward 5%, according to the figures being used in the conversation. With that backdrop, the gathering is interpreted as a smokescreen: an issue that serves to stop people talking about other things. It is the only argument with figures, although none is verified here, and the link between those prices and the mobilisation is not demonstrated at any point.

Ceuta and the charges: the political context

On top of the economic reading comes politics. It is claimed that the noise around the gathering covers up more uncomfortable matters, among them what peine in Ceuta and the judicial situation of part of the Government's circle, a charge asserted without providing any information or ruling to back it up. Here the analysis becomes pure opinion: none of that connects to what appears in the images.

Who is “normal” and who decides to be that way

What remains is the uncomfortable core: the label used to disqualify an entire group of people. Some argue that these people were once marginalized and today are a social point of reference. The debate over who is normal ends up saying more about the person raising it than about the person filmed.

With these ingredients, the only firm conclusion is that there is none. The protest, whether it is in Sol or Paris, whether it is driven by 5G or petrol, still has no owner and no diagnosis. Like almost everything that takes off in a weekend.