The Ertzaintza Interior Unit has opened an investigation against agent O. de P., stationed at the Irun police station, for having been an instructor in the training activities – specifically in the “grappling” combat modality – of the far-right organization Desokupa. The security advisor, Bingen Zupiria, indicated to the Basque Parliament, in response to questions from EH Bildu, that “after learning of these events”, the agent naturally advertises on social networks and the media and that they are well known in the organization. will be analyzed if he incurs a violation of the regime of incompatibilities.
Matiza Zupiria responded to the request for information from the nationalist Julen Arzuaga that the facts “are in the investigation and verification phase” and that, therefore, there is still no basis to anticipate whether or not there will be a disciplinary file. The councilor emphasizes that the ertzainas must comply with the 1984 regulations, like the rest of the civil servants. When asked if he is concerned about the links of the members of the Basque police with ultra organizations, Zupiria indicates that he is concerned about “all the aspects” that affect the “optimal functioning of the Ertzaintza”, without going into other considerations.
O. de P. has participated and won medals in wrestling championships. After winning the Spanish Grappling Championship, he stood on the podium wearing a Civil Guard T-shirt and a Spanish flag that also bore the emblem of that institution. O. de P. also boasts of having registered as a woman in Spain thanks to the recent legislative reform for the trans community. In his home country, he is a man and acts as such publicly on a daily basis, for example in the competitions in which he participates. This case has caused great controversy because the women in his police station complained that he wanted to change in their locker room. Finally, a third space has been set up for his exclusive use.
There is another case of a male Ertzaintza officer who registered as a woman. This police officer had been arrested in August for assaulting his partner. The case was finally brought before the Court of Violence against Women when the Prosecutor’s Office understood that the change of registration was fraudulent and precisely to avoid the aggravating factors of gender violence. Zupiria also informs Parliament that the ertzaina has already been filed and that he will not have lawyers paid by the Administration in this criminal procedure. Of course, he continues to receive “his basic salary and family support” even if he is suspended from his duties as a precautionary measure.
This is the same situation that another official finds himself in, accused of triple attempted murder for brandishing his firearm in Treviño, near Vitoria but technically in the jurisdiction of Burgos. Initially, he reported in July that he had been the victim of an assault and explained that he had tried to pursue the three alleged thieves, a version dismantled by the Internal Affairs. It was recently learned that the Ertzaintza’s Internal Affairs Unit, which currently oversees a staff of around 7,400 people, opened 78 disciplinary files for “serious” or “very serious” infractions between 2022 and June 26, 2024.
