Basque Autonomous police attacks demonstratiom

There was no margin to negotiations, neither the usual order to charge was heard. It sufficed that the demonstration arrived at the first line of the police cord so that the festival in the Boulevard of San Sebastian was finished and began the battle. It was an unequal fight: citizens with a simple banner set against armed agents that had loaded the rifles with plastic balls some seconds before: "Clack, clack", was clearly heard.

Only some few predicted what came later. The majority of the prior comments they opted for estimating that the Basque Harkis ,the collaborationist police, they would not be capable of charging, and even less using plastic balls, in a place packed of people that were going to support their prisoners... or to their oarsmen (day of boat races). Some and other they would finish united by the same indignation.

Up till then, the Boulevard was a festival, an incessant moving of brass band and of shirts of all the colours. But in the corner of the City Hall, the way in which the Ertzaintza was prepared to receive the demonstration could not pass unnoticed, more than 200 police officers composing two rows superimposed perfectly aligned. Only their eyes could be seen... and the rifles. "Then they will say that there are arguments", predicted with irony a senior nationalist. Of course, the reason that the Ministry of Interior gave to veto the demonstration -to avoid the possibility of incidents- came to be a joke of bad taste.

The hearts accelerated at 13.45 o'clock, when the Boulevard exploded in a single shout of growing intensity: "Presoak kalera, amnistia osoa". The banner carried by members of the former prisoners and pro-amnesty movement was being carried from the bandstand, rotated before the City Hall and driven forward to the barrier of Basque police officers. The command raised the hand, but hundreds of people continued advancing. The headings of the two groups touched, and there was no time for words: the police charged in two seconds, the Boulevard was a field of battle, with kicks to close range, crash of broken glasses, yells of panic and people of all ages rolling on the floor.

Tens of injured, young and old people, numerous arrested and four hours of pitched battle were the consequence of this serious violation of the fundamental right for freedom of expression , right that was violated and stamped on by the collaborationist police from PNV.