Laurence DollimoreGIBRALTAR is investigating footage which appears to show an off-duty policeman kicking a British woman during a protest at the border.
A leading lawyer on the Rock told the Olive Press today that authorities are collecting stills of the man from the clip before sending them to police bosses in Madrid.
“They’re going to demand that he be suspended immediately,” the well-placed source said.
“This protest was clearly used as an attempt to stir up trouble at the border.
“Hundreds of people were waving Spanish flags at people trying to drive across and were actually whacking the vehicles with them and kicking tyres.”
Hundreds of off-duty Spanish police were joined by friends and family to protest a ‘lack of resources and personnel’ while demanding pay increases.
The protests are said to be a result of the sharp increase of drug smuggling and uncontrolled immigration into the Cadiz area.
They began marching in the nearby town of La Linea at 11am before ending up at the border at around 2pm.
The footage in question shows a woman driving a red Mercedes before her car becomes surrounded by off-duty cops and their supporters who begin waving their flags at the windows.
Witnesses said the Gibraltarian, who is believed to have had a child in the back, stopped her car when one of the protesters kicked her tyres.
She got out and approached a Spaniard before a brawl broke out.
The Brit was swarmed by up to five protestors, one of them who can be seen clearly kicking her in the stomach.
They can be heard shouting ‘puta’ (whore) at the mother before an on-duty cop forces her back into her car.
The protestors are part of police union Jusapol, which represents hundreds of Policia Nacional and Guardia Civil agents.
The march started in La Linea at around 11am before reaching the Gibraltar border and causing severe delays.
A similar march is planned for Malaga on August 25.
Leader of the Gibraltar Social Democrats Keith Azopardi said: “The demonstrations at the border by Spanish police unions today over pay claims have caused unacceptable delays and hindrances to innocent passers-by who have only wished to cross the border into Gibraltar.
“The tendency sometimes for demonstrators to use the frontier as a focal point for Spanish domestic claims is both unfortunate and unacceptable. These issues have nothing to do with Gibraltar.
“Equally the scenes observed today of anti-Gibraltar chants or aggressive behaviour towards Gibraltar cars simply display extremist tendencies that have nothing to do with legitimate claims being pursued in a reasonable manner.
“Demonstrating in a way that is designed to aggravate nationalistic anti-Gibraltar sentiment at the border and hinder access into and out of Gibraltar is regrettable and unacceptable.”
The Gibraltar government has yet to comment.
