Four people were detained by Basque police at Bilbao airport on May 23 following violent clashes during the arrival of six Gaza flotilla activists returning from Israeli detention, police said [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The detainees included two flotilla members and two supporters, who face charges of serious disobedience, resisting authority, and assaulting police officers [1, 4, 5].
The clashes began when a relative of one activist tried to approach the returning group and police stepped in to block access. This led to scuffles and officers using batons to control the crowd [1, 6, 4]. Basque Security Minister Bingen Zupiria said, "What happened should not have happened," adding, "It is evident, looking at the images, that we did not achieve either objective" of peacefully greeting the activists and allowing passengers to leave without incident [5].
Around 2,000 protesters marched in Bilbao on May 24 to condemn the police actions, accusing local authorities of complicity with Zionism [6]. Meanwhile, the Basque regional police, Ertzaintza, launched an internal investigation to determine if police conduct complied with procedure [1, 6, 4, 5].
Activists returned from Israeli detention alleging abusive treatment including injuries and sexual assaults, claims that Israel denies and which independent verification could not confirm [6]. Activist Javier Aparicio described the police response, saying, "The image of the policeman's knee on our colleague's neck, in the same way that the Israeli occupation forces had detained and immobilized us for days as well, was truly horrifying" [5]. Amnesty International and a UN expert called for accountability regarding alleged abuses during the Israeli detention, which the Israeli prison service denies [6].
About 20 other Gaza flotilla activists arrived peacefully at Barcelona airport on May 23 and were welcomed by supporters, including Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun [1, 4]. The flotilla originally comprised 428 people from 44 countries attempting to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza; Israel seized all 50 vessels [4, 5]. Israeli forces intercepted and detained hundreds of activists on May 18, including 44 Spanish nationals [1].
Basque authorities said they will continue the internal investigation into the May 23 Bilbao airport incident as protests continue and calls for clarification grow [1, 6, 5].
