Due to a Barcelona fan, Spanish interior ministry opens investigation against police officers

Fernando Grande-Marlaska, the Spanish Minister of the Interior, has announced the opening of a disciplinary file against police officers who assaulted a FC Barcelona supporter and forcibly took an Estelada flag from him before the team's match against Elche on August 23.

Marlasca explained during a government oversight session in the Spanish Parliament, in response to the deputy from the Junts party, Marta Madrenas, that the ministry has opened an investigation on its own initiative into the incident, before moving from the stage of preserved information to opening a file to determine whether the actions of the police officers constitute a serious or very serious violation.

This step came after it was deemed that the police action could not be justified in any way, regardless of the fan carrying a perfectly legitimate symbol.

According to the newspaper "Mundo Deportivo", a deputy from the Junts party raised a similar incident that occurred last Sunday in Alcorcón in the capital Madrid, which also related to the Estelada flag.

The Minister of the Interior emphasized the need to put the incident in context, explaining that the information available to him indicates that the circumstances of the Alcorcón incident are completely different from what happened in Elche.