Now all we need is the renegade cops to hit politicians instead of real people, then maybe we'll get somewhere?

A summary from Barcelona Indymedia postings

The confrontation happened between 2000 demonstrating Madrid Municipal Police, and 100 riot National Police. The first takes orders from Madrid council, the second from the interior ministry, via the Spanish state delegate for each administritative region. There were around 38 cops injured, mostly local ones, and several arrests.

Municipal police were protesting a restructuring plan which they say it's not been consulted, and is unrealistic and underfunded. They demand the sacking of the councillor responsible, Maria Tardon, and negotiations before any changes. The government delegate justified the National police baton charges, with gas and rubber bullets, saying that the local cops were going to invade the council building, although the protesters had been fenced several streets away. At the time of the attack the council was holding a plenary, which several councillors from the socialist and communist opposition left to go to the street in an attempt to mediate and descalate the fight.

CONTEXTUAL NOTE

The Madrid local police were sort of ok during most of the 1980s. They were very corrupt in relation to nightclubs and other dodgy business in the city centre which require relaxed attitudes towards noise and licensing regulations (yes, despite what most tourists may think, those exist in Spain). However, they were not too concerned about street drinking, spliffs (which were legal at the time anyway), or stopping, harrassing and searching lefty-looking citizens, their main concern was motorist traffic. These other things, together with direct repression in demos, were left for the National Police, direct heirs of the fascist cops who killed and tortured with Franco, and still do that when they think they can get away with it.

Madrid had an amazing street, political and cultural life during that decade, an explosion which came with the arrival of so called "democracy", after the 1974-81 "transition" period. Free music festivals, films, wild clubbing, anti-NATO marches, strong local neigbourhood associations... well, all disappeared when the right took over power at the end of the 80s. At state level there was no difference between parties, neoliberalism and NATO/EU worshipping being equally shared, but locally it was a massive change, although in time the "left" would have ended up having to do the same. The change was particularly felt in the attitude of the local police towards young people and the little things that make up life. From the "local bobby" model, it moved to the "new york cop" line, although of course this is an idealisation and cops are cops: people who give up their humanness and equality to their fellow beings, in exchange for embodying the super-human power of the State-God. So, although not as bad as the National Police or the infamous paramilitary Guardia Civil, the Madrid local cops don't deserve much sympathy in the current situation.

The implementation of neoliberal adjustments everywhere, also at the local level, comes with governability problems, requiring police forces better able to respond to social unrest. The irony now is how to restructure those who have to enforce the other adjustments that have turned Madrid from a collection of "barrios" into a "world-class city", that is: stressed, expensive, represssive, violent and congested.

Right wing/left wing
WINGERS

It seems that what we need is a community based revolution. That cops are bashing cops seems to illistrate how those who govern can on one hand say that government represents you and with the other smack you with the states billy club. I bet those cops sure feel that the government represents them. What we don't need any more wingers telling us that any form of government beyond self government (ANARCHY) is going to get us out of this mess. Shit look around! Any community you feel you've got now is on it's way out. In no time flat you'll all be AMERICANS! Honestly people here respect the militant commitment people in europe show twards thier communitys. But you turn on a boob tube stateswide and all you see is OH! those eu brats are all terrorists. Bullshit! It seems that people who know thier values have somthing worth fighting for. People (AMERICANS) who don't know thier values, find that thier values probably arn't thier own!
Hey, There's no GOVERNMENT like SELF govenment

Keep it real,
!HECKNO!
PORTLAND, Oregon, the states