Police warn: Palestinian terror organization activists took over housing protest encampment in Madrid
Reports in Spain: After prominent figures left the 'Tenants' Union', the housing protest encampment in Madrid's Puerta del Sol square came under the control of activists from Samidoun, an organization linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Police warn of escalating violence, including attacks on officers and journalists. The president of the Madrid region filed a complaint over threats, while the Spanish government continues to describe the encampment as 'peaceful'.
The housing protest encampment in Puerta del Sol square in central Madrid has, according to reports in the Spanish media, come under the control of radical left groups, including activists from the Samidoun organization, which is linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), designated a terrorist organization by the European Union. According to a report on the OKDIARIO website, police sources warn that after prominent figures left the 'Tenants' Union', the encampment came under the control of extremist groups. Palestinian flags are seen at the site, and Samidoun activists walk around in shirts bearing the organization's name and keffiyehs. Samidoun, founded in 2011, is described as an organization linked to the PFLP and serves, according to Western intelligence sources, as a fundraising framework. Its activity has been banned in Germany, the USA, Canada, and the UK. Against the backdrop of the radicalization, violent incidents have occurred: four police officers were injured, one from a bottle to the head, and others were attacked. The JUPOL police union claims the initial instruction to police was not to wear helmets so as not to deter protesters. Meanwhile, the president of the Madrid region, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, filed a complaint over threats including the inscriptions 'Ayuso, die' and 'We will burn Ayuso's penthouse'. Despite this, the government representative in Madrid, Francisco Martín Aguirre, continues to describe the encampment as 'peaceful' and instructs the police to focus on maintaining public order without evacuating the compound.