01.06.2014 - 10:39
The Spanish police made a surprising deployment in Barcelona on Saturday night. Although it’s been many years since they were replaced by the Catalan local police (Mossos), a sizable group of Spanish anti-riot police deployed in the city taking positions in all of the buildings that belong to the state administration. This is something new, tied to the arrival this week of various units in Calella (55 kilometers north of Barcelona).
At the same time, the demonstration in support of the Can Vies squatter social center moved through the city in a way that avoided any of the buildings in which the Spanish anti-riot police were present. The first confrontation in years between the Spanish anti-riot police and demonstrators would surely have touched off considerable political controversy.
The Catalan Government has shown discomfort with the Spanish police presence, which the Spanish government justified by insisting that control of state establishments in Catalonia is the responsibility of the CNP [Spanish Police Force] and the Guardia Civil, not the Catalan Mossos.
