The Ombudsman has requested detailed information from the General Directorate of Police about the police action last Sunday in the city of Valencia, when a retired teacher participating in one of the educational protests taking place since May 11 was assaulted by a National Police officer involved in the security operation.
The institution explains in a statement that “through videos broadcast by the media” it has become aware of the incidents on Sunday, when a group of teachers on strike for weeks was demonstrating in defense of public education near the Valencian Ministry of Education and an attendee at the gathering was strongly pushed from behind by an officer, “suffering injuries after hitting the ground without there apparently being any provocation or disobedience to authority.” The Ombudsman suggests that, after observing the images, “it seems that force was used disproportionately.”
The Ombudsman recalls that the Supreme Court has established doctrine regarding the use of force by police officers: besides having to be proportionate, to use it there must be a certain degree of resistance by the passive subject.
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Therefore, the institution demands from the General Directorate of Police an evaluative report on the events, that any audiovisual documentation that might exist about the incident different from that broadcast by the media be provided, and that it informs about any responsibilities that may have been investigated as a result of this police action.
The Government Delegation in the Valencian Community announced hours later the opening of an investigation into the events and the initiation of proceedings against the officer who pushed the teacher. Condemnation for the action came from the education and political spheres.