Erzaintza defends Maccabi in Vitoria in the face of protests against Israel over 27,000 deaths in Palestine

This Wednesday at 17:15, outside the central hotel in Vitoria, Ertzaintza pulled out two vans – and a third was on the way – and a patrol car and another unmarked car were parked at the same door. He had just arrived from Madrid and accompanied Maccabi from Tel Aviv. The most relevant sports club in Israel will play this Thursday in Vitoria the match of the twenty-fifth round of the Euroleague basketball against the local Basque Country. The government commission against violence, racism, xenophobia and intolerance in sport has not officially declared the match “high risk”, unlike the October visit to Valencia, but police sources explain that a sting operation report has been prepared as if it were a sting operation. As Hamas attacks killed more than 27,000 people in Gaza on October 7, there have been calls to condemn the Israeli icon’s normalized presence at sporting events.

In recent days, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel (BDS–BDZ Araba) platform and Indar Baskonia (a major human rights group) have announced various initiatives aimed at staging rejection of a state that violates international law. The main Basque trade union ELA or parties such as the IU also supported the mobilization. A few minutes before the match, which starts at 20:30, there is a rally and requests to enter the stands five minutes late in protest to fly Palestinian flags – also from South Africa, a country that has condemned war crimes at the International Criminal Court – or even shouted “Genocide!” every time the yellow team touches the ball. They understand that the party is part of the strategy of the “Israeli regime,” which is “activating all its propaganda resources to try to whiten its image in international public opinion, seriously damaged after decades of unstoppable, indiscriminate and systematic genocide.”

It has become commonplace that every visit by Maccabi, who deprived Baskonia of the European title in 2005, causes controversy. Since the beginning of the current campaign of bombings and attacks on the Gaza Strip, Palestinian banners have regularly been displayed in the stands of the Fernando Bues Arena, and slogans of “Maccabi, get out of Europe!” have been heard. It so happened that just two years ago, as soon as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, all teams in that country were automatically expelled, including CSKA Moscow, the historic team of continental basketball.

Sources at the club indicate that they are taking the event “normally”. The logistics are the same as in any other Euroleague match, they note. Advertisements popped up around town with the faces of rival players, mostly Wade Baldwin IV, a local star a couple of years ago. Also on the Tel Aviv team are Spanish nationalized point guard Lorenzo Brown and Cuban center Hasiel Rivero, who played for ACB for five years. The Security Department also does not officially comment on the incident, although police sources explain that special measures were taken. And very relevant.

In fact, Maccabi’s annual visit to the EuroLeague – Baskonia has competed in every major European basketball competition – already requires additional security measures beyond the urban legend (mostly a lie) that this always happens. secret services. “The Maccabi Party is doing an amazing job,” sums up the agent based in Vitoria. The Ertzaintz plan involves guarding the team’s movements, protecting the hotel where they stayed for two nights, and the pavilion itself. In principle, no training is planned that would also require redeployment.

For the special deployment, “calls have been made” to reinforce the Vitoria police station, union sources confirmed, and a mobile brigade (riot control) and response, explosives and dog units will also be mobilized. Both the rooms of the selected hotel and the Buesa Arena will be swept. In fact, when the guest players arrived, there were already two vans, a patrol car and another camouflaged one; and a few minutes later another detachment arrived. The institution points out that their service is the same as at other clubs – in the last seven days they have hosted, for example, Valencia Basket and Galician Obradoiro – although they admit that the police have determined that other emergency measures need to be taken. measures.

One piece of information: if usually three “Francias” (vans) in the pavilion are allocated for a Euroleague match, then the forecast for their increase will double or triple. The fact that there is no other game or activity at the same time makes the job easier, they point out on the case. What will happen during the match? Non-uniformed agents typically form a cordon around benches and other critical points and carry backpacks filled with materials to intervene if necessary. Actions inside the pavilion are shared with the club, which has liaison on these matters and has deployed a private security company, but what happens outside is the absolute prerogative of the Erzeinz. The building is owned by the Provincial Council of Álava and the municipal police are involved, although they are more focused on regulating traffic and parking congestion.

As for the Palestinian flags, there have so far been no obstacles to their placement in the Buesa Arena since October 7th. In fact, no law prohibits this. Government rules on violence in sports state that banners, symbols, emblems or legends which, by their content or by reason they are displayed or used in any way, they incite, encourage or facilitate the commission of violent or terrorist behavior, or constitute an act of clear disrespect for people participating in a sporting event. No source is willing to confirm whether there will be more searches than usual, although this has been seen in other games against Maccabi in previous years.

However, at the Eibar stadium, Ertzaintza still went out into the stands and took down a single banner. This was in October. It so happens that this football team, now playing in the second division, has an Israeli club that took offense, although it regularly uses the Star of David and the country’s flag. The issue reached parliament as E. H. Bildu and Elcarrequin Podemos-U approached Vice President and Security Adviser Josu Erkoreka on the matter. Erkoreka said the flag “could develop into security issues” due to the existence of this group of fans. He argued that the police intervened in an “adequate” and “proportionate” manner. Other sources explain that the action was taken at the request of the club’s private security, which could not act on its own. This spectator was sanctioned for “insubordination.” “This is worth more than 20 victories in a row,” congratulated members of the group, which calls itself “proud Zionists.”