We shall not forget Ondarroa

A crackdown has broken up another exercise of peaceful resistance against an unfair detention, this time in Ondarroa (Bizkaia, Basque Country). Many people gathered there five days ago in order to prevent the Autonomous Police from detaining Urtza Alkorta, a woman who was sentenced to a 5-year prison term on charges of collaboration with ETA with no evidence than a self-incriminating statement she made while in custody. However, Urtza has always claimed that she and the other 6 people who were detained at the same time endured torture while in detention. In fact, they were all held incommunicado and at least one of them had to be transferred to a hospital due to the beating he suffered in the hands of Ertzaintza. Alkorta herself denounced those tortures during the trial.

Even though the most important has not been the detention itself (everyone knew it would take place despite its unfairness) but the attitude shown by the police during the eviction of the nearly 1000 people who were gathered at Alameda bridge in Ondarroa. As many as 28 police vans to detain a single person. Their deployment has been far from being peaceful or typical of a State ruled by law despite the fact that those in front of them had not been violent at any time. In fact, people of all ages were solely sitting on the ground and trying to pick each other as tightly as possible in order to prevent Ertzaintza from reaching Urtza. 

Several video footages have recorded what was going on there: police expelling elderly people from the bridge as well as showing aggressiveness against Basque MPs Maribi Ugarteburu (who has been threatened with detention for protesting the way Ertzaintza was conducting the eviction) and Laura Mintegi. However, they have been much more violent against lay people who were simply sitting on the ground and refusing to move away from the bridge. Some polices have even threatened them with rubber bullet shotguns whilst the remembrance of the death of Iñigo Cabacas (who was murdered by Ertzaintza in a crackdown on Athletic Club supporters after a UEFA match in Bilbao) is still alive among Basques. Men and women of all ages have been beaten with batons, kicked, trodden, caught by the hair. Thus there have been many wounded among protesters, also some policemen (the question is, how?) during the three hours that the crackdown on Ondarroa has lasted. 

Basque police might see an evidence of crime in this picture. By whom?

Here are some of the video footages of the most tense moments before and after the detention of Urtza Alkorta:



Some protesters shouting "that's the way they killed Iñigo (Cabacas)" whilst being targeted by Ertzaintza with rubber bullet shotguns.



Ertzaintza beating Erlantz Alkorta, Urtza's brother.



A 12 minute video of the last moments before Urtza Alkorta was detained and the first ones after her detention.

These three footages are only a sample of the police violence deployed by Ertzaintza yesterday. Those who are supposed to preserve the security and Human Rights of Basque citizens, treating their own peers in this way in order to fulfill orders issued by Madrid. Regardless if Urtza was guilty or not (a sentence based in a self-incriminating statement issued under torture should have no value), Basque autonomous police shown a shameful espectacle, much more given the circumstance that Basque society has made a commitment for peace.

I hope Ertzaintza will stop following orders by Spain and make a commitment for peace too.