Two police officers who were injured in Barcelona in 2019 during the protests following the Supreme Court’s ruling against the leaders of the independence movement in Catalonia, who are plaintiffs in the Tsunami Democràtic case, have described the “extreme violence” they witnessed when they were deployed to control the riots. They testified that they faced “perfectly organized” groups and consider themselves “victims of terrorism.” One of them stated that he felt his life was in danger and that they had never seen such violence before in Barcelona. The Tsunami case, which investigates the Tsunami Democràtic platform for inciting the protests and riots of 2019, has been reactivated this week following the Catalan elections.
The investigating judge has ordered the interrogation of a dozen defendants, including Marta Rovira, the secretary general of ERC, for their involvement in the protests. The two injured police officers, who are victims in the case, also provided testimony about the violent incidents they experienced. The attacks involved the use of various weapons and materials, including stones, metal balls, Molotov cocktails, acid, and makeshift metallic objects, with the aim of causing harm to law enforcement officers. One of the officers described how he suffered serious injuries, including a fractured arm, and had to retire due to disability as a result of the traumatic experience.
One of the officers, Angel, explained how he was hit by a large tile thrown by protesters, resulting in a fractured arm that required surgery. He also suffered from post-traumatic stress as a result of the incident. The other officer was knocked unconscious by an object thrown by the demonstrators and had to be protected in the hospital due to concerns for his safety. The intense violence they experienced has had a lasting impact on them, both physically and mentally. The defendants in the Tsunami case have accused the authorities of targeting them unfairly and using terrorism charges to prevent the possibility of amnesty for their actions.
The defendants, including Carles Puigdemont, Marta Rovira, and other prominent figures in Catalonia, have issued a statement denouncing the investigation as politically motivated. They argue that the charges of terrorism are unfounded and are being used to undermine efforts for amnesty legislation currently being considered in Parliament. They view the criminalization of their actions as a way to discredit their cause and align with the far-right agenda. The defendants maintain that they are being unfairly targeted for their role in the independence movement and claim that the terrorism charges are a fraudulent attempt to silence their advocacy for self-determination.
