Spain: Police “Welcome” 15M Protesters in Paris

The so-called “indignant march” [es], composed of three deployed groups (Meseta, Toulouse and Mediterranean), left from Madrid, Barcelona and Toulouse with Brussels as its final destination.

The aim is to spread the 15M message and demands (15M is the name given to the movement in Spain because its started on May 15) to the European Union heads of state. Once they crossed the Spanish border, each group found itself accepted by the residents in each of the towns and cities through which they marched. Occasionally, residents and passers-by have been surprised, but have mostly shown complicity.

Las marchas indignadas quieren llegar a los corazones y mentes que impulsaron un movimiento capaz de generar conciencia, unión y amor. Esas ideas y emociones han creado proyectos sociales capaces de unir no solo a una nación sino a un mundo; esta es nuestra intención. (http://marchabruselasmediterranea.blogspot.com) [es]

The indignant marches want to touch the hearts and minds that have driven a movement capable of generating a sense of consciousness, union and love.  These ideas and emotions have created social projects capable of uniting not only a nation but an entire world; that is our intention.   (http://marchabruselasmediterranea.blogspot.com) [es]

15M in Paris

Once they arrived in Paris on September 17, they decided to organize an assembly in the Bercy neighborhood and subsequently a demonstration throughout the streets of the French capital, looking for a place to sit for a few days before continuing the journey to Brussels, and set up an information point for French citizens who were interested.

Accustomed to suffering unjustified aggression from security forces, solely for spreading information or camping out in public spaces, demonstrators warned others of the possible dangers they were exposed to, and that a large police presence would not mean that the march could continue calmly, but rather that intimidating police force would be widespread.

After a calm, happy and peaceful march, with respectful by-passers who did not disrupt traffic, over 100 people met on Saint Germain Boulevard to walk towards the French Parliament when, according to the current model of police action already typical, they found themselves surrounded by a police squad that began using two loads of tear gas.

Afterwards, this group of 100 people opted to offer passive resistance and ended up sitting on the floor. But the anti-riot police dragged the demonstrators, sprayed their faces with pepper spray, and detained almost all of them.

@marcheparis: La marcha a Bruselas del movimiento 15-M es disuelta a golpes por la policía en Paris #marchabruselas #walktobrussels bit.ly/q6VQ13

@marcheparis: The 15-M movement's march to Brussels is broken up by police beatings in Paris. #marchabruselas #walktobrussels bit.ly/q6VQ13

Police violently detain a peaceful protestor.

The total number of detainees reached 80, who were spread in various police stations throughout the city, were shown in the press release from @acampadasol on their website [es]:

  • 18th District Station, Rue de Clignancourt (Telephone: 01 53 41 50 00). Total released (37 released).
  • 11th District – Central Station in Paris, Charles Dallerey Passage. Total released except for one minor (35 released).
  • 6th District Station, Rue Jean Bart (Telephone: 01 44 39 71 70) 4 retained (we suppose 18 more as well).
  • 5th District Station, Rue Montagne St Genevieve. 30 retained (5 released)

In the press release, they asked the Spanish media to offer more news coverage of the protest and arrests:

Es imprescindible que un máximo de medios españoles difundan la información con el fin de facilitar los trámites de liberación de los detenidos.

It is imperative that the maximum number of Spanish media spread information to facilitate the stages of the detainee releases.

Ultimately, this did not happen and the news of almost 80 Spaniards detained [es] by French authorities remained as a brief piece of news in some media outlets, while others simply avoided reporting it at all.

@spainrevolt: Detienen a más de 100 españoles en Francia y no lo cuentan. bit.ly/nuKGd1 #elpais, os echamos una mano con la edición de mañana?

@spainrevolt:  Over 100 Spaniards detained in France and it is not reported.  bit.ly/nuKGd1 #elpais, should we lend you a hand with tomorrow's edition?

Subsequently, they realized that 11 detainees will have to appear before a French judge for having broken the glass of the vehicle that transported them. Although they are already released, they will have to appear in court before October 31.

The detainees are transported to police premises. Source: http://www.facebook.com/15mMarchaBruselas

Olivier García, the detainees’ legal adviser, labeled the decision to present them before a judge  “disproportionate” [es], and said that the fact that the District Attorney is processing a similar demand is “unprecedented.”

Fueron detenidos para un control de identidad, cuando eso puede hacerse en la vía pública, y trasladados en un furgón policial a la comisaría.

They were detained in order to inspect their identities, when this can be done on the street, and taken to the station in a police truck.

Following this Parisian nightmare, the march continues its path to Brussels.

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