The massive demonstration of solidarity with Palestine which took place this Sunday through the streets of Santiago de Compostela resulted in police charges and, at two different times of the day, nine arrests, according to the STEG union. The events occurred after a group of people entered several fast food establishments to carry out a symbolic action aimed at denouncing the collusion of these companies and the State of Israel. “The people arrested are very young people and their physical constitution does not justify the violence of the police,” says the Galician Union of Industrial Workers (STEG), which provides legal advice to the demonstrators. The government delegation did not comment on what happened and did not respond to elDiario.es’ request for an evaluation.
The first of the police actions took place around 1 p.m. in the afternoon, on the central street Rua da Senra. The video published the same Sunday by elDiario.es shows the action of the riot police and how they put some demonstrators in their vans. “Seven of them required medical treatment and several were very emotionally affected,” a STEG spokesperson told elDiario.es. This educational union was responsible, at the request of the relatives of those arrested, for providing them with legal assistance. “The one that was deployed during the demonstration was an exaggerated police force,” says the same spokesperson, “especially if we compare it with what was happening in La Coruña almost at the same time.” There, far-right ultras from Málaga CF confronted Dépor supporters in the city center. Many witnesses denounced the passivity of the police and the socialist mayor, Inés Rey, criticized the lack of foresight of the police. Two sports fans were arrested.
The five people arrested in Santiago between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. were taken to the police station, located just 200 meters from the scene of the altercations. “There was also an unnecessary delay in the time spent at the police station,” specifies STEG. The first five spent 12 hours in the cell: they did not come out until after two in the morning on Monday. But in addition, during the solidarity rally with them which took place in front of the police station on Sunday afternoon, there was again a police charge, and new detainees: four. Those arrested were accused of attacking authority and disturbing public order.
“It was a symbolic action with no other meaning. In none of the videos is there any violence on the part of the demonstrators, beyond the shouts inside the premises and the throwing of leaflets”, concludes STEG, “all the Galician mobilizations in defense of the Palestine [habitualmente concurridas] They were completely peaceful. This one too.
