15-M protestors "degraded" by Catalan police, says judge

A Barcelona judge has said that the 15-M protestors dislodged from the city's Plaza de Catalunya on May 27 this year suffered "intimidatory, threatening and degrading" treatment from Catalan police.

Judge Josep Maria Miquel Porras on Thursday admitted a lawsuit brought by several affected protestors and will now investigate if police commanders committed any crimes during the action.

The writ, directed against police director-general Manel Prat and former Barcelona City Hall security chief Assumpta Escarp, among others, harshly criticizes the disproportionality of the police charge and highlights the peaceful nature of the demonstration. One of the things Judge Porras will now investigate is whether police violated the protestors' right to assembly.

The suit says officers "tried to clear the square" with no prior notification. Most of the protestors remained there despite the "intimidatory stance" of the police who even prevented them from "going to the restroom or eating," said Porras.