Spain: 3 people arrested in a mosque, Muslim clerics announce protests

From the Iconoclast:

THREE arrests were made at Palma’s main mosque in Calle Joan Mestre after police followed a North African suspect into the building. The Police say that he failed to stop for a roadside vehicle check and fled into the Mosque, so they followed him.

He was arrested together with the president of the Moslem Defence League and the mosque caretaker, both of whom had reportedly tried to prevent the police from entering the premises, saying that the sanctuary of a mosque should be respected in the same way as that of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues.

According to Diario de Mallorca:

Palma’s Muslim community will get to the streets soon to show their outrage at what has happened. Baleares’ clerics were in contact between them to coordinate them, while Palma’s Major’s office wanted to ease tensions, meeting with people representing the Muslim League, whose president was arrested during the incident.

According to the speaker of this association, Noreddine Belmeddah, imams from all the islands will meet next Friday to speak on this matter and spread the protests to their communities. “This is the deepest confrontation between security forces of Balearic Islands and the Muslims who live here”, said Belmedah, who also said that they will announce how the protests are held in the next hours.

El Mundo publishes the police union’s reaction:

The Unions (CCOO, SPPME, USO, STEI and CSI-CSIF) explain in a press release they don’t believe the City Police of Palma should ask for forgiveness after the incidents at the mosque Pere Grau on July 14th, after the arrest of three people, because it was “legitimate”. Political figures “consider that the police didn’t act correctly”, but it’s entirely according to the legislation currently in force.

This is why, the Unions are asking for the destitution of the Citizenry’s Security Councilman of the City, Antonio Donaire and the general chief of Citizen’s Secutiry of the City, Pepa Peláez. According to the Unions, the police didn’t act because of ethnic or racial reasons and there is no reason to consider this as an “attack on the Muslim world”, but just as a consequence of the police duty to respect and defend the rule of Law without making distinctions between citizens.

(…) “If the facts ended up with the arrests of three people, allegedly accused of terrorist attack and resisting authority’s commands, the process must continue as it would be with any other citizen. Authority principle can’t be broken because 100 people appear in front of the police headquarters, menacing with “assaulting it if the arrested men are not freed”” adds the press release.

Pepa Peláez gave a press conference, stating there were two versions of what had happened and so, an investigation should be opened (note the Algerian flag… no Spanish flag):

Thanks to the Foro Policía (Police Forum on the Web) for the links in Spanish and the photo on the left.

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Tags Technorati: Spain, Antonio Donaire, Islamism, violence, Pepa Peláez