Madrid protesters leave Puerta del Sol camp after three weeks

Young Spaniards who had camped out in one of Madrid''s busiest squares to demonstrate against bleak economic prospects ended their protest on Sunday.

They had been camping in Sol Square for the last 25 days.

At midnight they held a minute''s silence while waving their hands in the air as a farewell to the camp.

After that, hundreds of protesters started a spontaneous march towards the City Hall and Congress buildings, closing some of Madrid''s main roads in the process.

One of the protesters, Carlos, said: "Our main characteristic is that we don''t have any political party or union trying to lead us, that''s also why it''s very difficult to know where are we going, because only the people who participate here decide."

Another protestor, Lola Carmona, denied that the movement was at an end: "Our shouts tonight are the same as every day. We want to keep on expressing that we are here. That we are not done."

The protests began on May 15th and spread to cities across Spain and elsewhere in Europe, striking a chord with hundreds of thousands of sympathizers.

Spanish authorities at times appeared not to know how to deal with the demonstrators who readily acknowledged recent uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East had served as an inspiration.

Nearly two years of recession have left Spain with a 21.3 percent unemployment rate, the highest in the eurozone, and saddled with debt problems.