The Spanish Interior Ministry sides with Barcelona fan after Martinez Valero incident
After parliament's intervention
Spain's Interior Ministry has opened urgent disciplinary proceedings against the National Police officers who brutally assaulted a minor supporting FC Barcelona in Elche. The ministry said the decision came after it emerged that the police conduct was "unjustified in any way whatsoever". The case has shaken Spain.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska announced the official investigation into allegations of gross misconduct on Wednesday, during a government questioning session in parliament, responding to a question from deputy Marta Madrenas.
The preliminary internal inquiry concluded that the "confidential information" must undergo a formal review to determine whether the actions amount to a serious or very serious offence. Marlaska stressed that the conduct was unjustified regardless of the fact that the individual was carrying an "entirely legitimate" symbol, the flag of Catalonia (the Senyera).
A minor and an "Estelada" flag: details of the assault
The incident goes back to 23 August, before the Barcelona and Elche match. Police stopped a minor supporter near the Martinez Valero stadium and detained him violently because he was carrying an "Estelada" flag, the flag of Catalan independence.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta publicly branded the conduct "disproportionate and violent" and unrelated to freedom of expression. The Catalan club issued a strongly worded statement condemning in the strongest terms the "excessive and unjustified use of force" against its members and supporters.
Wide solidarity and a second incident
The young man's case drew wide solidarity within the club's walls. Prominent figures such as the star Gavi and president Laporta expressed their absolute support for the victim and his family.
A Junts party deputy denounced a similar incident last Sunday in Alcorcon (Madrid) involving an Estelada flag. The minister said the incident needed to be "put into context" but that its circumstances were "entirely different and distinct from those of Elche".
