Hundreds injured as police break up debt demonstration in Spain - campaigners condemn violence but call for focus instead on the issue of international debt

Spanish debt campaigners have been in the media and political spotlight recently after a peaceful demonstration was broken up by police on 26^th November. The Spanish media and opposition politicians have demanded to know why police in Madrid reacted so violently to a peaceful demonstration organised by RCADE, the Spanish Citizens' Network for the Cancellation of External Debt. However, Spanish debt campaigners, whilst condemning the violence, have called on the media and politicians to focus instead on the continuing debt crisis.

"Everyone is focused on the violence of the demonstration, and we do condemn it and we want to make the relevant people accountable for their actions. But we must focus on why we were demonstrating in the first place which was the reality of external debt," said Jordi Oriola, a spokesperson for RCADE.

Around 200 people were injured and 16 of them were treated in hospital during a demonstration organised on 26th November in Madrid by RCADE. The demonstration entitled "Another step for debt cancellation" brought together several hundred people in a festive mood in the centre of Madrid. However, as a number of demonstrators attempted to place their banners around the Parliament building, the police charged at them, severely beating them as well as 400 others who sat peacefully on the Parliament steps to protect them. The police then held back as participants expressed their determination to read their manifesto; however eight of them were arrested immediately afterwards whilst police continued to beat and fire rubber balls at others.

Paul Laverty, lawyer and screenwriter for the acclaimed films, Carla's Song and My Name is Joe witnessed the events first hand. In a personal account of the demonstration, he expressed his shock at the police violence: "This raises serious issues of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. The violence I witnessed today by the Spanish police was clearly exemplary. The anti third world debt protesters were not a threat to anyone."

The demonstration held by RCADE was part of a series of activities organised to draw the parliament's attention to the number of people supporting debt cancellation. Last March RCADE, which is supported by over 170 municipalities in Spain, gathered over a million favourable votes in a referendum that was organised to coincide with the general elections. RCADE's Sergio Alcina said that the demonstrators were merely "representing the voices of over a million Spanish citizens and many more millions demanding the cancellation of international debt". He added that "We are now even more convinced that civil actions must not be violent. We are reaffirming our demands and will continue to call for the cancellation of external debt and for this money to be invested in the development of Southern countries."

 

• For the personal eyewitness account by Paul Laverty, click here
• To find out more about the Spanish campaign, RCADE, visit their website at http://www.RCADE.org