Friday 5 October 2012

Hysteria in Spain.

One of the indignados called by the police to declare in relation to the Madrid riots last weekend was 57yo philosophy professor Rafael Tejero, from Granada.

The offence? Encircling and attempting to break into the Parliament. (See here, in Spanish).

The video below, in my opinion, is extraordinarily symbolic. I suppose that's why mainstream Western media will never show it.



Apparently, a group of some 10 policemen intent on pursuing and beating the indignados, oblivious to the presence of photographers and entirely unawares of their situation, split from the bulk of their comrades.

At about 0:18 finally perceiving themselves surrounded by the indignados and with their backs virtually against the wall, the policemen join their shields and start to retreat, around the corner.

At about 0:46, seemingly unable to retreat any further, the policemen are in an extremely vulnerable position. A surge by the mass of indignados, at this stage, could literally crush them against the wall. This episode could have ended in casualties and even fatalities among the cops. This is when Tejero (the bearded guy wearing blue jacket), initially by himself, and then with a number of other older men, intervene to shield the policemen.

I may be reading too much into this, and readers are free to disagree, but, as I said, I find that video powerfully symbolic.

For one, the undisciplined police behaviour, putting themselves in that position, reflects the ineptitude and arrogance of the Spanish ruling classes and their "authorities", for whom what matters is to subjugate their own population, by sheer force if needed.

The fact that Tejero, who offered the encircled officers an olive branch, is accused in a criminal case is meaningful, as well. It is the masters, not the oppressed, who are feeding violence and it is them who radicalize the masses. They can't stop discontent, so they try beating up people into submission and, supreme stupidity, remove the moderate elements.

But the cretinism of the Spanish elites reaches proportions of farce, when the case fabricated against Tejero and 7 others ends up dismissed in court: to encircle the Parliament is not an offence. (See here, in Spanish)

If I were a cop, I'd worry: perhaps, next time there would not be a Tejero to save my ass. And, just perhaps, I would not deserve to have my ass saved.

The video's last legend reads: "3. Finally, the people shield their aggressors, because, in the end, the people are better than them".

If among those aggressors one includes Mariano Rajoy, Angela Merkel, the Troika and all the bunch, and not just the cops, I could subscribe that.

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