Spain: CFWIJ condemns the police violence against journalist Mar Segura

February 18, 2021, Valencia- Journalists Mar Segura and Sergi Pau were physically assaulted by the police during their coverage of a protest demonstration against police brutality. Mar Segura suffered physical injuries as a result of the attack. The journalist union in Valencia came out in support of both journalists, condemning the actions of the police officers on the location.

Mar Segura, a journalist with the programme Próxima Parada on the Valencia-based TV station À Punt, was ambushed by police officers while covering a protest against police violence and the arrest and conviction of Catalan rapper Pablo Hasél. According to Segura, she was almost done with her assignment, and had the video footage on her phone when a police officer attacked her with a baton, despite her press credentials. She was hit on her leg and suffered bruises after the encounter.

In a separate incident, a male journalist, Sergi Pau, editor of the online news outlet Valencia Extra, also reported police violence at the scene of the protest. According to Pau, he was following orders and leaving the area when he was cornered by four riot police officers. According to Pau, he showed them his press credentials clarified multiple times that he was on his way out, yet the police officer physically assaulted him. Both journalists reported their experience publicly, in response to which The Union of Valencian Journalists (UPV) issued a statement condemning the “disproportionate police action”.

Protests occurred in the aftermath of the arrest of rapper Pablo Hasél across the country. Hasél was accused of putting out content that insulted the Spanish monarchy and its armed forces. The circumstance of Hasél’s arrest was viewed as an attack of freedom of speech as well as state endorsement of police brutality, resulting in widespread public outrage. Citizens organized across several cities to register their protest, and the demonstration turned violent in several instances when the police responded with aggression to peaceful protestors. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the attacks on both journalists. These instances only strengthen the case of the protestors who allege police violence; if police officers feel that they have impunity to publicly attack journalists on the field, then their behaviour behind closed doors need to be thoroughly investigated. Freedom of expression and freedom of press are civil liberties that no state, no matter how powerful it presumes itself to be, can be allowed to curb.