On Saturday, the six released pro-Palestinian activists were welcomed at Bilbao airport not only by their relatives, but also by a group of police officers. They were supposed to ensure their safety, but also free passage for other passengers from the plane, the RTVE website recalled.
However, for unknown reasons, a scuffle broke out between the group and one of the policemen. Instead of calming down the tense situation, the policemen pulled out their batons and attacked the activists and their entourage, eventually detaining four people.
“It shouldn’t have happened,” Basque Minister of Security Bingen Zupiria apologized. “It’s not a way to solve conflicts,” he added, adding that the ministry would still investigate the whole incident.
On Sunday, according to the TeleSur server, up to two thousand protesters took to the streets of Bilbao to support the release of the arrested persons.
Accusations of hypocrisy
Shortly after the rift, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted itself on the X social network: “We ask the Spanish government for an explanation regarding the treatment of the anarchists from the fleet.”
Right after that, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar summoned the head of the Spanish embassy, Francisco Pedrósová, for an explanation.
At the same time, Tel Aviv accused the Spanish government of hypocrisy. He pointed out that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his cabinet did not condemn the violent intervention of the Basque policemen, while the controversial intervention of the Israeli army against the humanitarian flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists was immediately condemned by Madrid, the El Confidential portal interpreted the words of the political director of the Israeli Foreign Ministry Yossi Amrani.
The Times of Israel server recalls that just a few days before this incident, Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir mocked the detained activists, who had to kneel on the floor with their hands tied.
Ben Gvir’s actions caused international outrage, and dozens of countries, including Spain, condemned Israel’s treatment of detained activists.
