Five arrests for inciting violence in Balearics

02/06/2012 00:00

Palma.Police sources said yesterday that three of the detainees are young people who took part last week in the sit-in staged at offices of the Ministry for Education in Palma, and the other two allegedly were at the centre of violent incidents during a recent visit by Balearic President José Ramón Bauzà to Manacor. Three policeman were wounded as a result of the aggressive behaviour.

The same sources said that the three young people who invaded the ministry were taken to police headquarters in Palma whilst the other two were held at Manacor police station.

All the detainees have been charged with public disorder offences. Additional charges of aggression could also be levied pending further investigation. Police sources said that the accused may well be given conditional discharges prior to their cases coming before a full court hearing, the date of which is yet to be set.

The incident in Manacor took place on 15th May when the Balearic President and leader of the regional Partido Popular (PP) party José Ramón Bauzà had to be escorted by a sizeable unit of police in order to reach the PP offices. Demonstrators against plans by the government to downsize the importance of Catalan in regional teaching, threw stones and other hard objects at the President. In the ensuing scuffles, three policemen were injured. A number of officers from the National Police riot squad were called in to escort Bauzà away from the PP offices at the end of the session.

Meanwhile, the staged sit-in at the Education ministry took place on 22nd May. After saucepan banging and whistle blowing in support of a national teachers' strike, around 70 students entered the ministry building by force, occupying the office of Education Minister Bosch who was in a Parliamentary meeting at the time.