On the 21st of March 2003, we were witnesses of the brutal reaction of police against demonstrators in Madrid with clubs, rubber balls and even gas. On one of the televisions that was on site, “Localia”, it was showing just incredible images about the brutal and nonsense reaction against the demonstration and just to give you a picture I’ll explain one of them.
At first, we could see a group of people on their knees assisting a girl that lay bloodying on the street, some of them asking for help, some helping her and at just four meters, the anti-riot police doing nothing but watching. Then a girl in the group stands up and gets her mobile out, she looks like is going to call the ambulance. At that moment both the policeman and the girl seemed to talk and the expression on the girl’s face was like she was explaining something (the policeman had his face covered with his helmet) and then this police started talking to her. Real slowly, actually he looked like he is going to help her and then, without any warning, the policeman hit her with his club and the girl fell unconscious in the street.
After that and many other episodes the government is still saying that the police were acting with proportional measures and it also serves as a warning to peaceful citizens so they don’t participate in any demonstrations. Their excuse is that there are “conspirator groups” inside these demonstrations and that they may possibly be involved in repression of police activities.
I only can say that freedom is something that myself and thousands of other peaceful citizens are not willing to lose because of threats and we are ready to demonstrate again.