Date Published: 15/02/2021
ARCHIVED - Police officers jailed as violence sparks protests in poverty-stricken Andalusian town
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
The mayor of Linares in Jaén has estimated that protestors caused between 25,000 and 30,000 euros’ worth of damage to public property in their outrage
A National Police sub-inspector and an officer have been remanded in custody by a Jaén judge and face charges of injury, unlawful detention and torture following a violent incident in the town of Linares (Jaén province) on Friday.
A 49-year-old man and his 14-year-old daughter were taken to hospital with minor injuries after a fight allegedly broke out with the two officers, who were off duty and not in uniform at the time.
The victim’s brother-in-law, who recorded the incident and posted a video on social media, told the Spanish press that the victim accidentally bumped into one of the two policemen, who responded violently, pushing and hitting him until he fell to the ground in. The man’s daughter appears to have been injured after “putting her nose in where she shouldn’t” as a voice is heard to say on the recording, according to Spanish media.
The incident was like a spark to dry kindling in Linares, a town with the highest unemployment rate in Spain (over 30 per cent, with more than half of young adults out of work). Following a year of restrictions and difficulties due to the health crisis, fuses were already very short and the incident served to fire up a group of younger people started a protest outside the courts. In light of this, the two officers were taken to Jaén city on Saturday afternoon to give statements by videoconference to avoid public disturbances.
The crowd which had gathered outside Linares courts headed for the police station, pushing over rubbish bins and traffic signs on their way and eventually setting fire to vehicles outside the station and throwing objects at National Police officers who had to gather in the street and fire dissuasive shots to prevent them reaching the building, the force later reported. The protests ended at around 10.30 pm (despite the 10 pm curfew still in place in Andalusia) with 14 people arrested (including two minors) and 20 police officers injured.
The arrestees were released on probation on Sunday. Police investigations are underway, and Linares mayor Raúl Caro has estimated that the damage to public property amounts to between 25,000 and 30,000 euros. “We’ve been going from one crisis to another for too long,” Caro said about the events. “It’s time to let the legal system do its job.”