More than one thousand people protest in Malaga against burden carried by self-employed people: 'There is no employment without us'

The self-employed are not a common sight at protests. They simply have no time to go because of the burden they carry on their shoulders. Their patience, however, has been exhausted and more than a thousand people, brought together by Plataforma por la Dignidad de los Autónomos, marched through the city centre of Malaga on 30 November to show their strong opposition to rising taxes and self-employment costs. The same demonstration took place in 21 other cities across Spain.

The main word that could be used to describe how many self-employed feel in Spain would be "asphyxiation", which they ask the central government to put an end to, providing them with "dignified working conditions" and a level of social protection that at least comes close to that enjoyed by salaried workers.

The protesters in Malaga shouted "Enough is enough" and "There is no employment without self-employed workers". Many were dressed in black and wearing red gloves: a symbolic outfit to represent the agony that many self-employed professionals are going through.

The protest began with a rally in front of Malaga city hall at 11am, followed by a march through the streets of the city centre. A statement was read when the marching crowd reached Plaza de la Merced at 12.30pm. The spokesperson said: "We are the self-employed, we are the heart that beats in every neighbourhood and in every town. But today, that heart is wounded. Enough is enough. We have taken the risk, we have made the effort, but the system has turned its back on us. Today we raise our voices, united in a single cry for dignity. During the demonstration, there were some shouts against PM Pedro Sánchez, although the organisation stated that their protest was "apolitical".

The manifesto listed the demands of the collective: lower social contributions, adjusted to real income; a "real" unemployment benefit that does not leave out 90% of applicants as is currently the case; exemption from IVA tax up to 85,000 euros; that the state stops using them as "tax collectors"; reduced contributions during sick leave, maternity leave or family care; a "right to mourning"; less bureaucratic burden; immediate 100% deduction of all tools and technology; and a strict separation between business and personal assets so that no more self-employed workers risk losing their family home.

People of all ages and nationalities joined the protest, including families with children. Some came from neighbouring cities such as Cordoba and Granada. Before the end of the demonstration, they all jointly pledged to continue raising their voices. "We are the force that opens the shutters every morning. We are the ones who take risks and create jobs. We are not asking for privileges, we are asking for dignity, justice and common sense," the spokesperson stated.