Spanish police were filmed beating and dragging people at Bilbao Airport on Saturday after clashes broke out with supporters awaiting the return of six anti-Israel campaigners from a Gaza-bound flotilla.
Four people were detained after the violent skirmish, during which police could be seen hitting people with batons and dragging them across the floor in the arrivals hall of the Spanish airport.
Supporters had gathered to welcome the Palestine activists as they arrived from Turkey after facing detention and deportation by Israeli forces.
According to Spanish broadcasters, the altercation broke out when a relative of one of the activists tried to approach them and was forcefully held back by a police officer. The Times of Israel reported that the Basque regional police force, the Ertzaintza, arrested four people for serious disobedience, resisting arrest and assaulting law enforcement officers.
“Following what happened at the airport, the Ertzaintza internal affairs division has launched an investigation to determine whether the officers’ conduct complied with procedures,” a statement by the police force said.
The activists returning to Spain had been intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters on May 18-19 and were briefly held in Israel, during which time Spanish leadership had condemned Israel’s treatment of the group.
Following the scenes at Bilbao airport, the Israeli government mocked Spanish officials by reposting a video of the incident on X and writing: “We demand an explanation from the Spanish government regarding its treatment of the flotilla anarchists.”
We demand an explanation from the Spanish government regarding its treatment of the flotilla anarchists pic.twitter.com/k2bbkKq7tm
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) May 23, 2026
The ordeal took place days after Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir released a video of himself on Wednesday taunting a group of detained Gaza flotilla activists as they were forced to kneel on the floor with their hands bound.
The video was widely condemned by leading officials from numerous countries including Israel, with criticism from Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The PM issued a rare statement on the matter, saying the way Ben Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists “is not in line with Israel’s values and norms.”
In the UK, the Chief Rabbi called Ben Gvir’s behaviour “the very antithesis of our core Jewish values and an awful Chillul Hashem [desecration of God’s name].
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