Following the appearance of Voxleader Santiago Abascal on Wednesday evening in Avilés the Policía Nacional three people were arrested. Sources at the Jefatura Superior de Asturias. The charge is desórdenes públicos, equivalent in English to public disorder.
Abascal spoke to several hundred supporters. Less than 200 metres away, the platform Asturias Antifascista held a counter-demonstration, which drew around 1,000 people according to police estimates. Participants on both sides engaged in loud disputes and traded insults, with a few objects thrown.
Antidisturbiosunits of the Policía Nacional separated the groups and prevented a direct confrontation in the centre of Avilés. According to security sources, the planned deployment had been reinforced in advance because the gatherings were close together and large numbers of participants were expected. The arrests were made after Vox’s official programme had ended. No verified information about injuries was initially available.
Police gave no details about the identities of those arrested or their individual roles in the alleged offences. The only official information given was that they were suspected of desórdenes públicos. Antidisturbios intervened at the edges of the gatherings to separate groups and prevent clashes. The operation thus followed the principle of protecting the right both to assemble and to hold a counter-demonstration, while defusing dangerous situations at an early stage.
Hours earlier, in A Coruña there had also been incidents following another public appearance by Abascal; police there also reported arrests. Both events on Spain’s northern coast led to an increased Policía Nacional presence around political rallies on Wednesday.
The assessment of the operation will now depend on the investigations by the relevant authorities. Police sources said that video footage and witness statements would be examined. The courts will decide on any criminal consequences for those arrested once the relevant proceedings are before them. Institutionally, the Jefatura Superior de Asturias is responsible for coordinating the Policía Nacional units deployed in the region; specialist units such as the Antidisturbios are called in depending on the circumstances when clashes are expected. The case in Avilés is part of a recurring pattern of tensions around Vox appearances, where supporters hold rallies and opposing groups mobilise for protests.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).