In Vitoria-Gasteiz Spain’s government delegate in the Basque Country, Marisol Garmendia, paid tribute at the central event on 12 October at the Acuartelamiento de Sansomendi the Guardia Civil and emphasised cooperation among all security forces. The occasion was the Fiesta Nacional and the coinciding feast day of Virgen del Pilar, the patron saint of the corps. Garmendia was accompanied by the regional commander, José Antonio Mingorance.
In her speech, Garmendia highlighted the Guardia Civil’s daily service to the public and spoke out against artificial divisions in the debate on security policy. She warned against “false divides” between symbols of identity and police forces, and argued that practical cooperation should take priority. In essence, she said that everyday reality disproved any artificial distinction between “those with the Ikurriña” and “those with the Spanish flag”; on security matters, “everyone is responsible for everyone”.
The speaker stressed that public safety in the Basque Country depends on coordinated work at different levels, specifically by the Guardia Civil, Policía Nacional, Ertzaintza and municipal police forces. No specific new measures, agreements or organisational changes were announced at the event. Its central purpose was to pay symbolic tribute to the security forces and reaffirm existing channels of cooperation.
For years, the Acuartelamiento de Sansomendi in Vitoria-Gasteiz has been the venue for the Guardia Civil’s central ceremony in the Basque Country on 12 October. The day has both national and corps-specific significance: the Fiesta Nacional and the feast day of the Virgen del Pilar. Representatives of the security forces regularly attend alongside representatives of the state administration. Officials have emphasised that occasions such as this are intended to raise the profile of joint work.
Politically, the tribute should be seen in the context of an ongoing debate about the role, perception and remit of state security forces in the Autonomous Community. While the central government presents its cooperative approach as a guarantee of effective responses to threats, reactions from political figures vary according to their affiliations. Whether and to what extent the cooperation highlighted by Garmendia will change operational procedures in the short term remains unclear; any such decisions would be announced separately.
The information is based on reports from the Basque Country on 12 October, according to which Marisol Garmendia attended the Guardia Civil ceremony at Sansomendi alongside José Antonio Mingorance and called for cooperation among the security forces.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).