Hundreds of people protest in Malaga against bullying: "Silence also kills"

Hundreds of people filled the streets of downtown Málaga this Tuesday in a massive demonstration called by the Student Union following the suicide of Marta Sandra Peña, the young woman from Seville who took her own life allegedly due to the bullying she suffered. The rally, which started from Plaza de la Constitución, grew as it moved through the historic center, gathering mainly ESO, Bachillerato, and vocational training students, but also families and citizens of all ages who wanted to show their support for the family of the minor and demand urgent measures against bullying.

Among banners and slogans like "Silence also kills", "Not one more victim", or "Educate to respect", the demonstrators protested against what they consider the "passivity" of the institutions in the face of school bullying. The chants, echoing throughout the center of Málaga, turned the city into a loudspeaker of indignation and solidarity. "Today Málaga shouts for Sandra and for all the victims of bullying," the participants chanted, in a day that united students from all over Spain under the same motto: to end the silence and demand justice.

Málaga was not the only city where this day of protest was held. In Madrid, Bilbao, Oviedo, Logroño, Bilbao, and Gijón, demonstrations were also called to show rejection of what happened in Seville and to demand more resources in education and public health against bullying. Citizens from Catalonia, Murcia, Ceuta, Cantabria, Balearic Islands, La Rioja, Aragón, Castilla León, Castilla La Mancha, Extremadura, and other capitals of Andalusia were also mobilized.

Objective of the strike

The purpose of the strike is to raise awareness about the fight against school bullying, although the Student Union is also demanding specific measures. The organization demands the immediate resignation of the board of directors of the Irlandesas de Loreto school, where the victim studied, and the withdrawal of its public funding. In their opinion, those responsible for not activating the anti-bullying protocol should be legally accountable for allowing what happened.

In addition, they call for the hiring of thousands of psychologists and psychiatrists in public health services and in every school, college, and university. Likewise, the union demands an education free from hate speech.