Spanish authorities mobilized anti-riot units early Wednesday morning to clear a group of police officers and civil guards who had staged an indefinite sit-in inside the headquarters of the Secretariat of State for Security in Madrid. The protest, which began Tuesday afternoon, marked an unprecedented joint action by representatives from multiple police unions and civil guard associations demanding formal recognition as a high-risk profession.
Sixteen officers and guards entered the ministry building at approximately 6:15 p.m. Tuesday after negotiations collapsed with the Secretary of State for Security, Aina Calvo. The demonstrators sought concrete commitments and solutions regarding retirement conditions equivalent to those enjoyed by local and regional police forces across Spain, insisting on a joint integration framework regardless of contribution regimes.
Hours after the occupation began, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska dispatched five units of the Prevention and Reaction Unit (UPR) to the ministry building on Amador de los Ríos street. According to participants inside the building, UPR group leaders questioned the protesters about their intentions and personal affiliations before instructing them to leave. Officers inside reported being warned that refusal to depart voluntarily would result in removal by force and potential charges of disobedience.
Just past 1:00 a.m. Wednesday, the protesters began leaving the building. Participants stated they were not exiting of their own accord but were being removed by force, noting they chose to comply rather than force their fellow officers into a physical confrontation.
Following the evacuation, Aarón Rivero, general secretary of the Association of Police Justice (JUPOL), strongly condemned the government’s actions. Rivero criticized authorities for forcibly removing law enforcement personnel advocating for professional recognition and retirement equity while allowing encampments in public spaces such as the Puerta del Sol to remain undisturbed.
Rivero also addressed the breakdown in talks with Aina Calvo, noting that the ministry had communicated that formal working table negotiations could no longer proceed due to the calling of elections. Representatives from organizations including Jupol, SUP, UFP, AEGC, APC-GC, Jucil, AUGC, ASES-GC, and IGC participated in the coordinated protest, which followed nearly a year of meetings and unfulfilled commitments from the government regarding safety and labor improvements for national security personnel.
