Madrid clears Puerta del Sol protest camp after weeks of talks

Police cleared the remaining Acampada 26S camp in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol at about 3am on Tuesday, 3 November, with two people arrested for alleged disobedience and resistance to authority.

Police sources cited by EFE said 334 people were sleeping at the site. The operation involved 400 officers: two hundred and twenty from the Policía Nacional and 180 from Madrid’s municipal police, alongside firefighters and social services.

The Delegación del Gobierno in Madrid said the clearance was a last resort after weeks of mediation. It said the camp had lost its original protest purpose and that incidents and alleged offences reported by the senior Madrid police command had created a concrete risk to people and property.

The Delegación said the process began with a letter on 26 October from then-delegate Francisco Martín, followed by a demand on 29 October to dismantle the camp as soon as possible. Organisers told the authorities on 30 October that all committees were dissolving, but a residual group remained. Most committees had agreed on Monday to begin dismantling the camp and move the movement into Madrid’s neighbourhoods.

The camp’s official Instagram account accused riot police of a violent operation involving blows and pepper spray that left several people injured. The Delegación said the clearance was carried out without violence; the competing accounts had not been reconciled in the reports. Some remaining campers had said they intended to stay until the general strike on 11 November.

City cleaning crews began removing tents for transfer to municipal depots, where owners can collect them.

Source: La Vanguardia.