The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has denied that he is considering stepping down from his post after the police actions during the general strike of November 11, although he has admitted doubts about whether all the charges complied with the principle of proportionality.
"Yesterday there were some of the actions that, at first glance, people don't like and don't sit very well with the principles of proportionality. As a result, I have immediately ordered an investigation that is very specific into those facts," Marlaska said this Thursday in statements to the media during the opening event of the 29N Electoral Campaign.
The minister spoke after the Ministry of the Interior took stock of the stoppage day, in which, up to 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, the National Police and the Civil Guard reported 1,144 incidents linked to the general strike, which ended with 47 people detained by both forces.
Marlaska insisted that "conclusions will be drawn" and "decisions will be made," stressing that the investigation is activated "immediately" when the facts "do not correspond to clear and necessary proportionality at the first moment" although "without prejudice to whatever may then follow."
However, he has claimed "the legitimate exercise of public force by all the Police and the Civil Guard," defending that Spain has a police force in the area of public safety that is "absolutely exemplary and worthy" and "a point of reference at a worldwide level." In this sense, he recalled devices such as the Ibero-American Summit, the NATO summit, or the UN funding summit as an example of the work of the Security Forces and Corps.
"I have no reason to resign"
Asked directly whether he is considering stepping down from the Ministry, Grande-Marlaska replied that he sees "no reason" to do so, pointing out that his responsibility is to "defend the actions of the police officers and the civil guards, but also to defend that citizens can exercise their rights and freedoms with full guarantees."
"All the actions and all the means that the Security Forces and Corps of the State use have to be absolutely proportional and necessary to the actions they carry out and, of course, not to be absolutely harmful to citizens," he reiterated, emphasizing that this is the guideline that must govern any intervention.
Assessment of the CIS macro-survey
In parallel, and asked about the macro-survey of the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS) ahead of the elections of 29 November, which places the PSOE as the winning force with 33.3% support and a range of between 134 and 143 seats, keeping the combined PP and Vox away from an absolute majority, Marlaska has assured that those results do not surprise him.
"This country is not the same as it was in June 2018; it is a much better country, a country that grows three times above what the European average is. We have increased the minimum interprofessional wage by more than 70%, we have increased and matched the rights of maternity and paternity... All of this is what makes it so that the CIS survey does not seem like something strange to me," the head of the Interior department has concluded.