On 14 October, police charged a group of students at the Complutense University of Madrid as an open-ended strike in defence of public education began at Ciudad Universitaria. Francisco Martín apologised for the police operation and asked the National Police to investigate it urgently. Five people were detained; the Government Delegation said two officers suffered minor injuries, while an initial EFE report cited one injured officer. Organisers say six students were taken to hospital.
Student and union groups called a one-day stoppage at the university. Separately, the CSIF union called a three-day strike from 14 to 16 October. The same dispute was covered in earlier reporting. Several hundred students and staff spent the night in the Faculty of Information Sciences before moving onto campus. The confrontation took place near the Faculty of Physical Sciences.
Madrid’s Government Delegation said officers intervened after reports that a road was blocked and masked people were at the gathering. It said protesters then tried to cross the police cordon. The protest group UCM por la Pública accused police of indiscriminately attacking an information-picket group. Martín said officers had been assaulted. Investigators are examining the sequence of events and whether the response was proportionate.
The university condemned Wednesday’s police action and said it was deeply concerned. The protest in defence of public education ended in clashes and arrests, with injuries reported.
UCM said it had neither requested nor promoted the National Police presence or intervention on campus. It contacted the rector’s office and the Government Delegation to seek explanations. The university also asked for legal proceedings involving those detained to be expedited in an effort to secure their release.
Martín said officers established a cordon after arriving at the scene and that protesters tried to cross it. He said some officers were assaulted, prompting the police response, but acknowledged the operation should have been proportionate. After video footage of the dispersal emerged, he ordered the head of the National Police in Madrid to open an urgent internal investigation into the operation.
Martín defended the professionalism of the National Police, while saying disproportionate actions must bring consequences. Speaking to Radio Nacional de España, he said the response deserved scrutiny and the images were painful to watch.
Students and professors continued their protest on Thursday, 15 October. Around 300 students had spent the night inside the Faculty of Information Sciences before emerging with banners. Further demonstrations by staff and students were scheduled at the university. The five detainees were initially accused of offences against public officials. Prosecutors could also consider a public-order offence.
