Spanish Police Brutality and the Sign of the Cross
by Ben Curtis
There’s a granny on the first floor that makes the sign of the cross, just as if she’d entered a church and stood before the altar, every time she crosses the threshold of our building, stepping out into the mean streets of Madrid.
You sometimes see this with old ladies that get onto the Metro too, and I’ve seen more than a few younger women franticly tracing thumb and forefinger up and down, side to side across their chest, as they step on a plane bound for the UK (I imagine they are more worried about the flight than the destination, though these days it’s a toss up as to which is more dangerous!)
I used to inwardly smile at this sort of ‘antiquated’ behaviour, but these days, as many of the big cities in Spain start to take on unpleasant aspects of other great metropolises around the globe, I’m not sure those grannies (and why is it only women I see doing this?) are so crazy. After all, believer or non-believer, every bit of supernatural protection probably helps!
I mean, look what happened right below our balcony recently:
Posted: August 12th, 2008 under Spanish Culture and News.
Comments: 15
Comments
Comment from ValenciaSon
Time: August 12, 2008, 12:16 pm
Did that situation make it to the news, or is that considered typical?
Comment from Ben
Time: August 12, 2008, 12:46 pm
@VS, didn’t make it to the news as far as I know, I think they might have stolen a car or something and failed to stop when asked by the police, hence the ‘chase’. But that is just our guess. As for the beating, I think that is, let’s say, not unheard of…
Comment from Marie-chan
Time: August 12, 2008, 1:26 pm
the same thing happened near our house once.. it was really scary.. the first time i’ve seen a gun fight.. wow.. but i think it was really scary.. since there were car chase..
Comment from EXPAT
Time: August 12, 2008, 2:14 pm
Don’t be so judgemental about what the police did. Perhaps the two people had just brutally stabbed and raped a young girl???
You would not be so critical then, would you?
You clearly do not understand things too well, and from the brief glimpse of the scene you have deduced something that may be totally different to reality.
Comment from Ben
Time: August 12, 2008, 2:32 pm
@expat… If I said the police were ‘wrong’ I apologise, what I was trying to say was that life in the city throws up scenes that are really unpleasant to witness on an increasingly frequent basis.
I understand why they were hitting the guy, it’s the best way to ensure he didn’t give them any more trouble. Just wish that sort of shxt happened less that it does these days… Hence the calming effect that view had on me by comparison…
Comment from Edith
Time: August 12, 2008, 3:59 pm
Street life, and all the violence it entails - that’s exactly the kind of thing I hate about big cities! Sometimes, late at night, I hear all kinds of noises coming from the streets like men screaming and throwing objects around, and I don’t even live in a big city myself.
I would really think twice before taking my new Nikon D40 to Amsterdam, for instance, and that’s where these small digital cameras come in handy. Utrecht Central Station and the adjacent shopping mall are not nice places either, I have seen things there ranging from youth gangs to a young girl who had obviously died from a drug overdose.
As far as police violence is concerned, I’m on your side Ben. Once an arrest has been made and the suspect has been handcuffed, there is no reason for the police to hit him over the head with a bludgeon. This should really be the last resort, and I can imagine it must have been very unpleasant to watch.
Comment from Hellothere
Time: August 12, 2008, 4:45 pm
Hi Ben,
Is this normal that the only thing I am seing in your video, is people peacefully bathing in the sea?
Nice beach by the way.
Comment from raytibbitts
Time: August 12, 2008, 7:18 pm
@expat: no need to apologize for police. It could just as easily have been the other way as well; police officers using excessive force and brutality in order to get people to do what they want, regardless of protocol, and regardless of what their suspects were doing prior to the beating. As you say, we didn’t see what happened, these people may have just witnessed corrupt police officers doing something illegal, and the cops were just ‘covering their backs.’
Who knows?
Comment from Graeme
Time: August 12, 2008, 7:35 pm
In any case, the idea that the police are entitled to give someone a kicking just because they ‘may’ have done something very bad is not universally accepted - thankfully.
Comment from Ben
Time: August 13, 2008, 3:43 pm
@Hellothere - not sure about ‘normal’, but that is what you should be seeing! 
Comment from Hellothere
Time: August 13, 2008, 3:58 pm
Thanks Ben
I was expecting a video about police violence, and all I see is the beach, the sea, everything calm and peaceful.
I am confused…
Is this April Fools Day already? 
Comment from Jon Hundt
Time: August 13, 2008, 7:24 pm
“as far as police violence is concerned…”
well, many of you are disgusted by police violence, and that is maybe a good thing. The citezenry must always be aware of the police over-stepping their duties.
But here in Holland we have a truly laughable situation. The Dutch police are SO wimpy, and the law is totally AGAINST the police taking any action. The cops will not ever lift a finger against ANYONE because they might be reviewed, disciplined, fired, fined, or sent down for ‘police violence’. NOBODY respects the authority of the police, and nobody is worried that they might be questioned, detained, beaten, or locked up. 12-yr-olds already know that the Dutch police are completely useless.
Back in Oakland CA the cops were quite effective. When I was in Madrid in April I was impressed that the public still seemed to respect the police. I hope Spain never goes the way of Holland…
Comment from Edith
Time: August 13, 2008, 7:36 pm
@ Jon,
I agree with what you are saying, and the fact that people here are not even allowed to defend themselves (e.g. by carrying pepper spray, which is illegal here) makes the situation even more laughable.
The only thing I object to is inflicting unnecessary physical harm on a suspect once an arrest has been made. Do remember that hitting someone over the head with a hard object can cause permanent brain damage.
Comment from Marc
Time: August 14, 2008, 2:07 am
Ugh..that video is hard to watch. I had a difficult time getting through it all. The part where the guy frolics into the water and hugs his girlfriend as the waves crash in? Just terrible.
Comment from John Ross
Time: August 14, 2008, 5:24 pm
@Jon
It’s true that people respect the police here these days - they used to fear them. The kind of incident Ben describes is fortunately not all that common any more, mainly because the various kinds of police, from municipal to national to civil guard, tend to be better trained than they used to be, more professional, and it seems to attract a more thoughtful kind. I hear them chatting to each other in a local bar - hobbies, holidays, films, normal things - while they drink their coffee or Coca Cola. One of the old school came in some months ago, pistol on his hip while he drank his whisky, not his first of the day. You could have heard yourself breathe. Scary.
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