Barcelona Rallies in Support of Ukraine Conflict Participation Suspects
MADRID (Sputnik) – About 50 Barcelona residents walked out into one of the squares in Spain’s second largest city on Thursday calling on the authorities to close the case and accusing the Spanish government of using a double-standard policy against its own citizens.
Last week, Spanish National police arrested eight Spanish citizens saying they took part in the Ukrainian conflict. The arrested were accused of involvement in crimes of murder, possession of weapons and explosives and acts against the interests of Spain abroad. Authorities said that the suspects’ actions were in violation of Spain’s neutral status with respect to the Ukrainian conflict.
Agustin Rivas, a representative of the Madrid Committee in Support of Anti-Fascist Ukraine, later confirmed to Sputnik that all eight Spanish citizens had fought alongside independence supporters.
Rivas added that the accusations against the detained had “nothing to do with reality”, stressing that what happened was “a manifestation of double standards” since no Spanish citizens who fought alongside Kyiv had been arrested.
Rallies in support of the detained have been held in several Spanish cities, including the capital Madrid. The 8 suspects have been released, but were asked to be prepared to show up to court to give evidence upon request.
Some of the Spaniards arrested by the police told Sputnik on Monday that there were Spanish people fighting on the side of Kyiv forces, including the notorious Azov battalion. They said the Spanish government has not detained any of the mercenaries fighting on the side of Kyiv forces because Spain is actually supporting the new Ukrainian government.
Fighting started in Ukraine’s southeast last spring, when Kyiv launched a military operation against independence supporters in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions who refused to recognize the new coup-installed government.
In February, a ceasefire agreement was reached between the two sides. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Thursday that violence in Ukraine’s eastern regions has considerably decreased since the ceasefire came into force.