{"id":316684,"date":"2026-05-25T12:00:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T11:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=316684"},"modified":"2026-05-25T10:22:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T09:22:03","slug":"basque-police-beat-global-sumud-flotilla-torture-survivors-in-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2026\/05\/basque-police-beat-global-sumud-flotilla-torture-survivors-in-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"Basque Police Beat Global Sumud Flotilla Torture Survivors in Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Spanish police brutally beat Gaza flotilla activists following release from Israel\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uSEc5qOrDO0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>23 May 2026 &#8211; <\/em>The video from Bilbao Airport today is as brutal as it is bewildering. Six Basque activists walk through arrivals, fresh from being intercepted, detained, and abused by Israeli forces while attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, carrying physical and psychological scars from their encounter with the Israeli military.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>Basque police beating Israeli torture survivors is institutional. <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>These are the same cops who&#8217;ve taken \u20ac1.6M in Israeli security contracts, trained by former Mossad agents, and equipped with Israeli surveillance tech.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Basque police, the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.preventionweb.net\/organization\/ertzaintza\" >Ertzaintza<\/a>, descended on Loiu Airport with batons drawn. They attacked the activists and the friends and family who had gathered to welcome them home. Four people were arrested, charged with \u201cdesobediencia grave, resistencia y atentado a agente de la autoridad\u201d \u2014 the standard playbook for criminalizing solidarity.<\/p>\n<p>The images are shocking: police beating people who had just survived Israeli captivity. People being dragged and handcuffed as they step off a plane, bringing back evidence of Israeli war crimes.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sumud-flotilla-basque-airport-violence.webp\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-316687\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sumud-flotilla-basque-airport-violence-1024x696.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"550\" height=\"374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sumud-flotilla-basque-airport-violence-1024x696.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sumud-flotilla-basque-airport-violence-300x204.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sumud-flotilla-basque-airport-violence-768x522.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sumud-flotilla-basque-airport-violence.webp 1091w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure>\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!ti0D!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69b1c685-4c1d-4af5-8608-cb74d66454e7_1091x742.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!ti0D!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69b1c685-4c1d-4af5-8608-cb74d66454e7_1091x742.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!ti0D!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69b1c685-4c1d-4af5-8608-cb74d66454e7_1091x742.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!ti0D!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69b1c685-4c1d-4af5-8608-cb74d66454e7_1091x742.jpeg 1456w\" type=\"image\/webp\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.preventionweb.net\/organization\/ertzaintza\" >Ertzaintza<\/a> presents itself as a different kind of police force. Created in 1982 as part of Basque autonomy, it\u2019s supposed to be more responsive to local communities, and less like the centralized Spanish national police.<\/p>\n<p>The truth is, the Ertzaintza has a long-standing, multifaceted relationship with Israel that goes far beyond the Spanish government\u2019s official positions on Palestine.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s be clear about what we\u2019re talking about:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Technology &amp; Equipment:<\/strong> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/shield.ertzaintza.eus\/en\" >The Ertzaintza has purchased Israeli technology and equipment for years.<\/a> Its phone-tapping system comes from Verint Systems, an Israeli company with <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.elsaltodiario.com\/armamento-policial\/gobierno-vasco-ertzaintza-bilbao-contratan-exagente-israeli-mossad\" >deep ties to Israeli military intelligence.<\/a> An Israeli firm, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.impulse-h2020.eu\/consortium\/ertz\/\" >ICTS<\/a>, has managed security at some of their facilities. They\u2019ve used <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lamoncloa.gob.es\/lang\/en\/espana\/stpv\/spaintoday2015\/security\/paginas\/index.aspx\" >Israeli body armor, <\/a>surveillance cameras, and listening devices.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Training &amp; Services: <\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.timesofisrael.com\/euskadi-israel-a-relationship-of-military-training-etas-empathy-for-zionism-and-politics\/\" >The Ertzaintza has participated in training from Israeli sources<\/a>, including courses from Guardian Defense &amp; Homeland Security \u2014 <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.timesofisrael.com\/euskadi-israel-a-relationship-of-military-training-etas-empathy-for-zionism-and-politics\/\" >a company run by a former Mossad agent<\/a> that has provided \u201clive fire\u201d training to Spanish police.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Financial Ties:<\/strong> These aren\u2019t minor transactions. <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.elsaltodiario.com\/armamento-policial\/gobierno-vasco-ertzaintza-bilbao-contratan-exagente-israeli-mossad\" >Basque institutions have reportedly spent over \u20ac1.66 million on contracts with Israeli-linked security companies.<\/a> In 2021 the Ertzaintza signed a contract for <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.elsaltodiario.com\/armamento-policial\/gobierno-vasco-ertzaintza-bilbao-contratan-exagente-israeli-mossad\" >\u20ac3,569.50<\/a> just for \u201csupply of stun and distraction grenade carriers\u201d from these same Israeli sources.<\/p>\n<p>This is the institutional reality that contradicts the political rhetoric.<\/p>\n<p>For years, Israel has aggressively cultivated relationships with European police forces through security training programs. <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.israeli-tactical.de\/\" >Companies like Israeli Tactical School, International Protection Services, and ISA Security Academy <\/a>market themselves as premier counter-terrorism experts. Their instructors come from Shin Bet, the Israeli secret service. Their doctrine emphasizes aggressive tactics, crowd suppression, and treating dissent as security threat.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.israeli-tactical.de\/\" >The Israeli Tactical School<\/a> openly boasts of training \u201csecurity professionals worldwide\u201d in \u201ccounter-terrorism and executive protection.\u201d Their curriculum includes \u201cclose-quarters battle\u201d and \u201ccounter-surveillance\u201d \u2014 tactics designed for high-risk environments that aren\u2019t exactly what you\u2019d expect at an airport arrivals gate.<\/p>\n<p>When Israeli forces sexually assault, torture, and brutalize international activists bringing aid to Gaza, those actions send a clear message to every police force they\u2019ve trained: \u201cThis is how you handle people who challenge us. And you should be doing the same.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Spain&amp;apos;s Sanchez accuses Israel of &amp;apos;illegal abduction&amp;apos; of Gaza flotilla activists\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bA7JWBfnARU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>While Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez has positioned himself as a critic of Israeli actions in Gaza, calling for investigations and even <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ZRYgTwg-jEs\" >suspending the EU-Israel association agreement<\/a>, the institutional reality on the ground tells a different story.<\/p>\n<p>The Spanish government may condemn Israeli atrocities in public statements, but its security apparatus maintains deep ties with Israeli military and security contractors.<\/p>\n<p>This explains why the Ertzaintza behaved the way they did in Bilbao. They\u2019re part of a security ecosystem that views Palestinian solidarity activists through the same lens as Israeli security forces.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eldiario.es\/espana\/dani-esteve-bombardear-flotilla-palestina_1_102123456.html\" >It\u2019s the same logic that allows far-right agitator Dani Esteve to publicly call for bombing the flotilla<\/a> and lead demonstrations in Madrid with complete impunity. When the system views Palestinian solidarity as a threat to national security \u2014 a lesson learned from Israeli counterinsurgency doctrine \u2014 it will act accordingly.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"header-anchor-post\"><strong>Why Bilbao? Why Now?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Timing matters. The Global Sumud Flotilla arrived as global pressure on Israel reaches unprecedented levels. <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mofa.go.kr\/\" >South Korea has condemned Israeli actions.<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.government.nl\/\" >The Netherlands has banned settlement products.<\/a> Even in the US, the pro-Israel lobby is losing ground with more Americans sympathizing with Palestinians rather than Israelis for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>Israel and their proxies know they\u2019re losing the battle for global legitimacy. So they\u2019re doubling down on repression \u2014 not just in occupied territories, but in European cities too.<\/p>\n<p>The Ertzaintza\u2019s attack was an attack on the credibility of Spain\u2019s entire Palestine position. It exposed the hypocrisy of a government that talks solidarity while practicing complicity.<\/p>\n<p>This is the contradiction at the heart of European \u201csolidarity\u201d with Palestine. You can condemn Israeli genocide in Brussels while your police enforce the same logic of repression domestically. You can call for accountability while your institutions actively suppress the movement demanding that accountability.<\/p>\n<p>The contrast between Barcelona and Bilbao tells the story. In Barcelona, the activists were welcomed by <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=amW_u7mVHac\" >Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun<\/a>, who called for investigations into Israeli \u201ctortures\u201d and denounced the interception as \u201cpiracy.\u201d In Bilbao, they were met with batons and arrests.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Urtasun califica como &quot;acto de pirater\u00eda&quot; el nuevo ataque de Israel a la flotilla de Gaza\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/amW_u7mVHac?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>This is about the fundamental contradiction between Spain\u2019s supposed solidarity with Palestine and its institutional entanglement with Israel\u2019s security apparatus.<\/p>\n<p>The activists who sailed for Gaza weren\u2019t just bringing humanitarian aid \u2014 they were bringing back evidence of Israeli war crimes. And in that evidence lies a challenge to the very system that profits from Israeli technology and training.<\/p>\n<p>When the police attacked them in Bilbao, they were attacking the activists and attacking the evidence. They were actually attacking the truth, protecting the institutional ties that bind them to the same security logic that abuses Palestinians.<\/p>\n<p>The Spanish government can condemn Israeli atrocities all it wants. But until it cuts the institutional ties that train police in Israeli security doctrine, until it stops purchasing Israeli surveillance technology, until it ends the contracts with Israeli security firms \u2014 its words will remain empty.<\/p>\n<p>The activists who survived Israeli captivity only to be attacked by Spanish police understand this reality better than anyone. They\u2019ve seen firsthand how the same logic of control and violence connects Tel Aviv to Bilbao.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"header-anchor-post\"><strong>The Real Question<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The real question is why any police force would choose alignment with an occupying power over protecting their own citizens.<\/p>\n<p>When Ertzaintza beat people welcoming home activists who survived Israeli detention, they were protecting the system that allows Israeli forces to commit torture with impunity. They were protecting the illusion that Spain can be a genuine ally to Palestine while its institutions do Israel\u2019s dirty work at home.<\/p>\n<p>Another world is possible. But it won\u2019t be built by police forces that beat activists for supporting freedom. It won\u2019t be built by governments that condemn Israeli genocide while enabling it at home.<\/p>\n<p>The Basque activists understood this. That\u2019s why they sailed to Gaza. And that\u2019s why Ertzaintza was so damn afraid of them coming home.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Israel is busy gaslighting the world:<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/israelmfa\/status\/2058209600940212412\" >https:\/\/x.com\/israelmfa\/status\/2058209600940212412<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"pencraft pc-display-flex pc-flexDirection-column pc-gap-12 pc-padding-16 pc-reset bg-primary-zk6FDl outline-detail-vcQLyr pc-borderRadius-md sizing-border-box-DggLA4 pressable-lg-kV7yq8 font-text-qe4AeH tweet-fWkQfo twitter-embed\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/x.com\/israelmfa\/status\/2058209600940212412?s=46&quot;,&quot;full_text&quot;:&quot;We demand an explanation from the Spanish government regarding its treatment of the flotilla anarchists &quot;,&quot;username&quot;:&quot;IsraelMFA&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Israel Foreign Ministry&quot;,&quot;profile_image_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/pbs.substack.com\/profile_images\/1587900251540791304\/OwWylh5s_normal.jpg&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-05-23T15:33:03.000Z&quot;,&quot;photos&quot;:[{&quot;img_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/upload\/w_1028,c_limit,q_auto:best\/l_twitter_play_button_rvaygk,w_88\/khe8nchav5tasesnai27&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/t.co\/k2bbkKq7tm&quot;}],&quot;quoted_tweet&quot;:{},&quot;reply_count&quot;:215,&quot;retweet_count&quot;:707,&quot;like_count&quot;:3019,&quot;impression_count&quot;:108126,&quot;expanded_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/video.twimg.com\/amplify_video\/2058209538461904896\/vid\/avc1\/360x640\/Wi8cvL8xT_3iUhqk.mp4&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true}\">\n<div class=\"pencraft pc-display-flex pc-flexDirection-row pc-gap-12 pc-alignItems-center pc-reset\">\n<div class=\"pencraft pc-display-flex pc-flexDirection-column pc-reset flex-grow-rzmknG\"><span class=\"pencraft pc-reset weight-semibold-uqA4FV reset-IxiVJZ\">Israel Foreign Ministry<\/span><span class=\"pencraft pc-reset color-secondary-ls1g8s reset-IxiVJZ\">@IsraelMFA<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pencraft pc-reset line-height-20-t4M0El font-text-qe4AeH size-15-Psle70 weight-regular-mUq6Gb reset-IxiVJZ text-aFN1BV\">We demand an explanation from the Spanish government regarding its treatment of the flotilla anarchists<\/div>\n<div class=\"pencraft pc-display-flex pc-flexDirection-column pc-reset bg-black-dCpgGg outline-detail-vcQLyr pc-borderRadius-sm overflow-hidden-WdpwT6 container-_J9cse\"><video class=\"video-CPD2rN\" src=\"https:\/\/video.twimg.com\/amplify_video\/2058209538461904896\/vid\/avc1\/360x640\/Wi8cvL8xT_3iUhqk.mp4\" preload=\"auto\" controls=\"controls\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>________________________________________________<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ahmed-Eldin-e1779699441601.webp\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-316685\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ahmed-Eldin-e1779699441601.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"90\" height=\"90\" \/><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Ahmed Eldin &#8211; Independent journalist, actor &amp; producer formerly<\/em> NYT, HBO, VICE, PBS, BBC, <em>and<\/em> Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ahmedeldin.substack.com\/p\/spanish-police-beat-global-sumud\" >Go to Original &#8211; substack.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>23 May 2026 &#8211; The video from Bilbao Airport today is as brutal as it is bewildering. Basque police, the Ertzaintza, descended on Loiu Airport with batons drawn. These are the same cops who&#8217;ve taken \u20ac1.6M in Israeli security contracts, trained by former Mossad agents, and equipped with Israeli surveillance tech.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":316687,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[229,3567,101,100,87,865,3566,88,427,1281,250,880,99,126],"class_list":["post-316684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-activism","tag-basque-country","tag-cultural-violence","tag-direct-violence","tag-gaza","tag-genocide","tag-global-sumud-flotilla","tag-israel","tag-palestine","tag-police-brutality","tag-spain","tag-state-terrorism","tag-structural-violence","tag-violence"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=316684"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316684\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":316690,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316684\/revisions\/316690"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/316687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=316684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=316684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=316684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}