- Riot Police from Valencia and Mallorca reinforced Ibiza’s Guardia Civil and Police to create a force of 110 officers sent in to break up an illegal rave being held at Cala Comte at the weekend.
- One Officer fired his sidearm into the air as scenes became ugly on Sunday morning.
- A total of 73 arrests were made, and authorities have stated that all those arrested will face prosecution in order to send a message that such activities will not be tolerated.
Sunday Morning
The Mayor of Sant Josep has stated that the council had no advance knowledge of the event whatsoever. The Police started to receive noise complaints at around 1am Sunday morning, in total they received 8 complaints.
They arrived at the location to find approximately 1,000 partygoers in attendance and the party in full swing.
The Police decided that it would be inadvisable to attempt to close the event at that stage due to the large number of people in attendance. They stated that they could not guarantee a successful outcome if they had moved to close the event at that time.
Reinforcements
Reinforcements were called in from elsewhere in Ibiza, and from Mallorca and Valencia, including 22 specially trained riot Police.
The Police decided to act to close the event on Sunday morning. They faced considerable resistance from party organisers. The Police state that they were attacked by party organisers. In the resulting action 11 officers received what are described as minor injuries.
One officer fired his sidearm into the air as a warning to stand off when surrounded by a mob wielding iron bars and other weapons.
Official reports did not give information of any injuries to the public, however one person who was at the event but had left by the time of Police intervention, told us their friend had received a broken arm as a result of Police force.
Video
In the video shown here and shot by a partygoer, the situation is heated, but there is no sign of violence beyond pushing and shoving.
Police are seen to be surrounding the sound equipment, some trussing is being held by partygoers. Two police back away holding an amplifier with their batons drawn. They are harangued by partygoers, but there is no sign of any attempts to attack them or retrieve the equipment by force.
The Police state that there were 1,000 attendees at the height of the party. Though the film does not give a complete perspective, it is clear there were nothing like that number at the time the police moved in.
Response
Those attending the party give a very different view of the police action. Several partygoers have sent us this same text. We include this text with a verbatim translation, to give their side of the story.
“Police brutality at a meeting of friends in Ibiza …. they broke the arm to #CarmenFernandezPhotography they fired shots without justification ….. they broke property of the assistants, they invaded the vehicles, they kidnapped the dogs that were there, and they abused their authority. This is what is not seen and is not said in the news …… share …. that some of the truth is known that they do not tell, this is the truth.”
Arrests
Of the 73 arrests, Police consider 16 to be either or both the ringleaders of the resistance at the event, or organisers of the event, which they state as being of Italian origin, though there is no information on the nationalities of those arrested in the 16 or 73 total.
It is expected that minimally the 16 ringleaders will be seen before a Judge today Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th. They face charges of Assault on Police, Public Disorder and Disobedience.
The Police have also stated that the owners of dangerous dog breeds found loose and unmuzzled will also face action.
Co-Operation
The Riot Police will stay on Ibiza for some time to ensure organisers do not attempt to resurrect the party elsewhere.
The co-operation of all the official bodies involved was praised in a press conference held by the Mayor of Sant Josep, Josep Marí Ribas, Ibiza’s representative on the Balearic Government, Enrique Sánchez, and representatives of Sant Josep Local Police and the Civil Guard.
Particular mention was given to thank San Antonio and Santa Eulalia which both sent officers to assist, and to the San Antonio Hoteliers Association for their part in making accomodation available to the officers brought in from Mallorca and Valencia.
Were you there? We would like to hear your perspective to, on or off the record. [email protected]
