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Barça reports police action against a supporter with an estelada
The run-up to this Sunday's Elche-Barça match ended in a controversy that has already spread far beyond football. FC Barcelona has reported the disproportionate use of force during the arrest of one of its supporters near the Martínez Valero stadium, after National Police officers removed several esteladas from Barça supporters.
The events took place before the match, while visiting supporters were entering Elche’s stadium. Images circulated show moments of tension between officers and supporters, and a young man receiving several blows before being restrained on the ground. At least one supporter was arrested.
Barça reacted this Monday with a statement in which it considers the procedure used during that arrest disproportionate. The club has made itself available to the supporter and his family and has requested explanations about an action it considers lacking the necessary proportionality.
The club has also expressly criticised the removal of estelada flags. It recalls that they are a legal symbol and argues that displaying them is an expression of freedom of speech which, in itself, cannot be equated with incitement to hatred or violence.
The Policía Nacional maintains that officers intervened to prevent clashes between supporters of both teams and that insults and confrontations occurred during the operation. One of the young men was arrested for resisting, disobeying and assaulting an officer. The force has now opened an internal inquiry to clarify how events unfolded.
The scene has also prompted political reactions in Catalunya. Different parties and organisations have requested explanations from the Ministry of the Interior and questioned both the removal of the esteladas and the level of force used during the intervention.
The controversy comes after a match which, on the sporting side, ended in Barça’s emphatic 0–5 victory. The result has been partly eclipsed by images which have once again put an old debate around Barça supporters on the table: which symbols may enter a stadium and where security ends and freedom of expression begins.
The episode leaves Barça now awaiting police explanations and the open investigation. For the club, the issue goes beyond one specific flag: it affects how its members and supporters are treated when accompanying the team outside Barcelona.