More torture and repression in Barcelona

Most recent communique from the assembly for the freedom for the
people arrested on February 4th in Barcelona.
Midday 09 February 2006



In the early hours of the morning of February 4th, at number 55 Calle
San Pere Mes Baix, Barcelona, the police violently arrested nine
people outside a party. Three of them are being held in prison, two
charged with attempted homicide and the thrid with assaulting a
police officer and incitement. According to the official story, an
officer of the municipal police riot squad is injured, and in an
induced, therapeutic coma.

In an initial press release, Joan Clos, Mayor of Barcelona, gave a
statement claiming that the officer was injured by a plant pot thrown
from the building where the party was taking place. Sixteen hours
later, the police contradicted this version saying that the injury
could have been produced by any solid object. The following day a
final official version came out, claiming that people from the street
attacked the officer with a stone.

Which of the three official versions should public opinion believe?
If we take the original police version, made public by Clos, then
none of the three people being held under arrest could have been
responsible for the blow that injured the policeman. Furthermore, so
far there is only the police account of what happened, so there is no
way of contrasting the police/city hall version with any other. The
official version is a personal accusation, which has changed three
times in just two days.

Those accused deny the charges absolutely. Eye witnesses and those
arrested agree that a group of people was arguing with three police
officers at the door to the party, when the police began to beat
people and called for reinforcements. At that moment, a group that
included the accused arrived in the area. They were also beaten,
meanwhile the officer fell, injured.

More riot police from the Mossos D’Esquadra (Catalan regional
police force) arrived and continued to arrest and beat people. It is
important to add that the police shouted “Stop or I’ll shoot!”
and fired shots whilst chasing the people running away from the baton
blows.

The people arrested were beaten and tortured at the moment of their
arrest and continuously in the police station, hospitals and police
vans. They have multiple injuries all over their bodies, blows to the
head, black eyes, and two have broken arms.

The official version, being spread by the press, reduces the event to
a simple violent confrontation between police and young squatters.
However, the reality is that it took place in the context of one of
Barcelona’s many neighbourhoods degraded by City Hall’s town
planning policies, where the inhabitants are victims of rampant land
specualation and estate agent “mobbing” in which local officials
are active participants.

Policies that are completely insensitive to social reality mean that
City officials resort to heavy police presence in these areas to
repress any kind of response from the tennants and residente affected
by evictions, lack of public services and general destruction of
their neighbourhoods and community networks. It is no exaggeration to
talk about the criminalisation of poverty.

Many neighbours witnessed the police charges from their balconies and
were shocked by the brutality of the repression directed at the
youths, and anyone else who was passing through the area. However,
police violence has reached such extreme levels in the San Pere
neighbourhood that most witnesses will only talk about what happened
in private. They are afraid of what they saw and of the police who
have been occupying the street and the doorways to the houses
continuously since that morning.

People known to live in the neighbourhood, and anyone who looks like
a “squatter” were stopped for ID checks and recieved threats like
“You prefer I kill you here or I take you to the Industrial
Zone”, as well as punches, kicks to the ankles and even taking off
a victims shoes and abusing her, while each of the officers stepped
on her feet. They justified the actions claiming that the injured
officer had died.

With regard to the “Narko Penya Acultural” [translators note: the
house in which the party was taking place was a mafioso establishment
known to deal drugs, including crack cocaine, and suspected to have
links to various police forces and City officials] It is much easier
for the City to arrest and charge some South American youths who look
like “squatters” than to risk an investigation which would ask
questions about their responsibility for the building (which they
own). It is very difficult to believe that the police were unaware of
the Mafiosi practices for which the building was used
For more info see:
http://www.liberinfo.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&s

None of this is accidental. The extent of the violence practiced by
the different police forces for a long time now, particularly since
new Civic Zero Tolerance laws came into effect, and they increased
the use presence of the Mossos D’Esquadra (instead of the National
Police). There is clear harassment of certain collectives and of
areas where the interests of the City officials are in conflict with
the realities of the people who live there.

We demand the release, without charge, of the people being held
prisoner, an end to the abuses and torture, and that they give us
back our neighbourhoods!

Demontration: Plaza. Sant Jaume, Saturday 11 February at 12:OO

Donations for prisoner support and legal costs:
La Caixa 2100-3002-01-2105267123
IBAN: ES66
BIC/SWIFT: CAIXESBBXXX