The president of Irídia, Anaïs Franquesa, urges the Mossos d'Esquadra to limit the use of force to the absolute minimum during the general strike on Wednesday, November 11.
The president of Irídia, Anaïs Franquesa, has asked the Mossos d'Esquadra to design their operations for the general strike on Wednesday, November 11 with the use of force reduced to the lowest possible level. This request was made at a press conference alongside the co-director of Novact, Luca Gervasoni, and the co-president of Lafede.cat, Arés Perceval.
The three entities presented the observation device of Som Defensores, a human rights network that Irídia, Novact, and Lafede.cat launched in 2017 following the mobilisations of October 1. Their role consists of documenting and denouncing rights violations in protest contexts, especially when police officers are involved.
Franquesa reminds that the duty to guarantee the right to strike and to protest falls to the police. In her view, a general strike disrupts the routine of those who do not support the strike, and that does not justify a disproportionate police response.
"A general strike is, by definition, a disruption of everyday life."
The entity's greatest concern is pepper spray. Franquesa argues that the recent publication of the Mossos' protocol indicates that the police intend to use it this week, and warns that the weapon should not be used to disperse a group or in the face of passive resistance, but only in response to violence or an imminent threat of harm.
Irídia considers it unjustifiable that the protocol includes two exceptions: its use against passive violence and in enclosed spaces. The entity requests that officers do not apply these exceptions. They also express concern about the use of police vehicles for dispersal, the use of batons to strike heads, as seen on Sunday in Manresa, and about identifications based on "ethnic-racial" profiling.
To monitor the day, the three organisations will deploy over 60 people. Between 35 and 40 will be in the metropolitan area of Barcelona from 6:30 AM until the end of the protests, while between 20 and 25 will work in the coordination centre, following mobilisations across Catalonia through social media and assisting the press.
Gervasoni states that the objective is preventive. The entities have informed the General Commissioner of Institutional Relations of the Mossos about the operation. During the strike, observers will wear helmets and vests and will identify themselves to the police forces present, a gesture that, according to Gervasoni, serves to limit certain practices.
If anyone suffers abuse or institutional violence during the day, they can seek help from the Irídia Attention and Reporting Service (Saidavi), which offers free legal and psychosocial assistance. Perceval adds that Lafede.cat has joined the strike along with a large part of the third sector, because, as he says, solutions to housing and inequality "will never be individual."
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