Barcelona police chief subpoenaed for protest eviction

The Barcelona police chief, Joan Carles Molinero, has been subpoenaed as a defendant over the forceful eviction of protesters from Plaza de Catalunya on May 27. Court testimony from another police official established it was Molinero who coordinated police action that day.

Over a hundred people were injured after Catalan police forced the protesters out of the square, arguing that they were deliberately blocking access to cleaning crews. Eye witnesses said that the confrontation took place on the square's perimeter, where a few dozen youths sat down to prevent vehicles from entering the area.

The squatters were part of the 15-M movement against political corruption and economic mismanagement, an initiative that also saw hundreds of people occupy Madrid's Sol square for several weeks last year. The investigating judge has requested transcripts of the conversations held between police headquarters and officers at Plaza de Catalunya. The actions of the city's former security deputy, Assumpta Escarp, and the head of riot police, David Bordas, are also being investigated.