Teen Hospitalized After Alleged Police Violence in Santiago de Compostela
A 19-year-old hospital patient and around 30 protesters gathered on Saturday, November 14, in Santiago de Compostela’s Praza do Obradoiro to denounce an alleged aggressive police encirclement that followed the general strike on November 11.
The demonstration targeted what organizers described as unprovoked violence by law enforcement following a day of widespread labor protests. 20minutos.es reported that the confrontation near the Parque de Belvís left a young woman requiring hospital treatment.
Activists from the O Obradoiro camp organized Saturday’s gathering in front of the cathedral to protest actions taken by police at the conclusion of the November 11 mobilization. Protesters read a manifesto alleging that victims found themselves trapped between two police vans before officers forced them against a wall with strikes and shoves.
“They agree that they weren’t looking to identify them, but to beat them up in cold blood,” the manifesto said, according to 20minutos.es. Participants chanted slogans such as “Police guilty, government responsible” and “No aggression without a response” while displaying a large banner demanding the repeal of public safety laws.
Miguel García, a participant who witnessed portions of the events, detailed the sequence of the evening. After a peaceful sit-in at Praza do Obradoiro dissolved, a smaller group moved toward Praza de Cervantes to conduct informational pickets at open businesses, 20minutos.es reported.
“When we came out through Praza de Abastos and went down towards Virxe da Cerca, several vans appeared. I had been seeing police violence in the State all day, so I started running,” García said, as cited by 20minutos.es.
While García fled down a different street, a diminished group of around 20 to 30 people walked down Rúa das Trompas near Parque de Belvís. Police vans followed them to that location, where protesters reported being cornered and ordered against a wall before officers charged.
Emergency medical services from 061 confirmed that a 19-year-old woman was transferred by ambulance to the University Hospital Complex of Santiago around 22:00 hours on November 11. García said that the injured woman received grapas on the wound and has since been discharged.
Meanwhile, National Police sources maintained that these specific incidents were not addressed in coordination meetings concerning the general strike. Authorities concluded that the wider day of action across Galicia ended without incidents of special relevance.
The Sindicato de Vivenda de Compostela, part of the strike committee, issued a statement on Thursday, November 12, condemning the police intervention. The union labeled the Belvís encounter a deliberate and cowardly aggression and accused officers of preparing riot gear, rubber bullets, and tear gas as soon as the afternoon manifesto reading concluded.
Union representatives demanded the identification of the officers involved, the purging of internal responsibilities, and the dismissal of any sanctions or charges against the demonstrators. “The injured comrades are not going to be alone: we will accompany them in the streets, in the courts and wherever it takes,” the union declared, according to 20minutos.es.