Spain Notes, Nov 8: alt-right anti-amnesty protest at socialist HQ in Madrid turns violent
29 police officers injured. Alt-right leaders blame others.
1/ Yesterday, Vox leader Santiago Abascal called for “permanent mobilisation” against Sánchez and the amnesty deal.
2/ At 6 p.m., the national Vox account tweeted: “EVERYONE TO FERRAZ..!”. Ferraz is the national headquarters of the Socialist Party in Madrid.
3/ On Monday, the previous night, riot police had used batons, rubber bullets, smoke canisters and tear gas to break up the alt-right protest.
4/ This morning, EFE reports 39 people were injured, 29 of them police officers, in what happened next.
5/ There were many reports of the singing of Francoist hymns (Cara al Sol etc.), the shouting of “seig heil”, arms raised, the waving of Francoist or Carlist flags and other alt- or far-right symbols in Spain.
5/ Vox leader Abascal tweeted just before midnight that the violence “is Marlaska’s responsibility”. Marlaska is the socialist Home Secretary. Vox, he said, “will continue to support all pacific resistance protests against the coup leaders”.
6/ PP leader Feijóo blamed Sánchez and said people should go to the PP’s more organised demonstration before lunch on Sunday.
7/ Sánchez said “they won’t break the PSOE” and denounced “the siege” of Socialist Party headquarter buildings.
8/ Cerdán, the socialist man who has been negotiating with Puigdemont on behalf of the party, said, in reference to conservative leader Feijóo: “the guy who wanted to be the moderate has been eaten up by the far-right that he neither wanted nor was able to stand up to and now he can’t control them”.
9/ Alt-right influencers Alvise Pérez and Dani Esteve, who had spent all afternoon egging people on and encouraging them to go to PSOE HQ and then a “secret” alternative venue closer to the PM’s office, Moncloa, later posted a video promising that they were both off home to have dinner.
10/ Protestors moved alternately between PSOE HQ in Ferraz street, the Parque del Oeste, nearer to the PM’s office, and then went down the Gran Vía to try to get to Congress.
10/ The Speaker of Congress, Armengol (PSOE), called “now more than ever” for “trust in our democracty and our values”.
11/ Belarra (Social Rights, Sumar, Podemos), said: “What we are seeing on the streets of Madrid has been brewing for a long time in far-right communication outlets. Like when the pseudo-police desokupa squatter commando was allowed to roam freely. Hate speech breeds violence”.
12/ Sumar leader Yolanda Díaz (Deputy PM) said “the violence we are seeing on the streets of Madrid is unacceptable” and said Popular Party leader Feijóo should “act as the democratic leader of the opposition and condemn these acts”.
13/ Alt-right influencers blamed it on “undercover socialist party operators” (Negre, who posted with a picture of a noose) or “marginal ultras” that are the “tools of the enemy” (Alvise, who also mentioned a “hidden strategy” “in the shadows” that was the real puppet master behind the protests.
14/ Will they go again tonight or will someone counsel calm and sagacity?