Clashes at Bilbao airport as flotilla activists return from Israel

Clashes broke out at Bilbao airport in Spain’s Basque Country on Saturday after six activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla returned from detention in Israel, resulting in four arrests. The activists, who had been intercepted by Israeli forces five days earlier while attempting to sail to Gaza with humanitarian aid, were posing for journalists near an arrivals exit when a supporter tried to approach them. Police intervened, saying the group was blocking the exit and breaching security, leading to shoving and moments of high tension. Footage showed officers using batons and pinning people to the ground. The four arrested face charges of serious disobedience, resisting authority, and assaulting a police officer.

The Basque regional police force said on Sunday it had launched an investigation to determine if officers followed proper procedures. The leftist Spanish party Podemos described the confrontation as intolerable, while the coalition Sumar condemned what it called police repression against activists who had allegedly already suffered mistreatment in Israeli custody. Police defended their response, stating that some individuals at the airport obstructed the normal flow of...