Representatives of National Police unions Policía Nacional and professional associations of the Guardia Civil Guardia Civil were removed during the night of 28 October from the headquarters of the Secretaría de Estado de Seguridad in Madrid . They had been there since late Wednesday afternoon, seeking to put pressure on the authorities over a “jubilación digna” and the classification of their work as a hazardous occupation, thereby pressuring the Ministerio del Interior . According to consistent media reports, the agency’s leadership deployed officers from the Unidad de Prevención y Reacción for the operation.
After leaving the building, Aarón Rivero, secretary-general of the JUPOL, told the media that the group had left the premises “peacefully” to avoid putting UPR officers in a confrontational situation. He said those involved also wanted to avoid disciplinary proceedings or charges of disobedience or occupying a public building. Rivero also criticised the government for taking action against its “own” officers while a protest camp that has been in place for weeks was being tolerated at the Puerta del Sol . This is the organisers’ position; the Interior Ministry had not initially issued a statement of its own.
The protest was prompted by a deadlock in the dispute over pension arrangements and the demand that police work be recognised as a hazardous occupation, which in Spain would be linked to early-retirement options. The associations point to differences in the rules governing national, regional and local police forces and insist on equal treatment. According to participants, several organisations took part; no specific agreements with the government were reached.
The removal ends the symbolic pressure tactic inside the agency, but intensifies the public conflict between the organisers and the leadership of the Ministerio del Interior. It remained unclear overnight whether or when new talks would begin. Some media reported that the Interior Ministry was referring to future negotiating rounds in the next parliamentary term; this would be politically significant because decisions on classifications and additional contributions have budgetary and legislative implications. The government initially gave no confirmed dates.
The events therefore have both an employment and a security-policy dimension: they concern the age profile of police forces, the funding of early-retirement schemes and how the state security architecture handles internal protests. The associations involved have announced further action.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).