Interior orders investigation of police charges during the general strike and prohibits the use of tear gas against protesters

The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has urged the general director of the National Police, Francisco Pardo Piqueras, to open "specific investigations" into police actions during the general strike of November 11, according to sources from the aforementioned ministerial department.

"These investigations will be carried out independently of the internal inspection to which the National Police submits all its actions to evaluate their adequacy to current regulations," the same sources point out.

Furthermore, the Minister of the Interior has given the order that, from now on, tear gas will not be used in demonstration control devices.

The balance made by the Ministry of the Interior is that until 11:00 p.m. last night, the National Police and Civil Guard have reported 1,144 incidents related to the day of general strike, in which both forces have made a total of 47 arrests.

These are distributed as follows: 20 detainees in Madrid; 6 arrested in Valencia; 4, in Malaga; another 4 in Almería; 3, in Granada; 2, in Zamora; 3 arrested in Castellón; 1 in Navarre; another is Valladolid, La Rioja, Alicante and La Coruña. However, these figures are provisional and do not include data from Catalonia or the Basque Country.

Bolaños rules out the dismissal of Marlaska

The Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, Félix Bolaños, for his part, has already ruled out the dismissal of the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, during an interview this morning on RNE, after the police charges in the general strike of November 11, although he has admitted that there were images of Police actions that he had not "liked."

In this sense, Bolaños has indicated that the police commanders will be "responsible" for determining "if there has been a disproportionate use of force in any element" during the marches for the general strike and relieved Marlaska of responsibilities after different political forces, such as Frente Amplio or Podemos, demanded the dismissal of the Minister of the Interior.

In an interview on 'RNE', reported by Europa Press, Bolaños stated that "absolutely" Marlaska's position as head of the Interior is in question, defending that he was aware of "all the work" carried out by the State Security Forces and Bodies on the day of the general strike.

The head of the Presidency has also highlighted that the "predominant note" in the general strike were "peaceful and civic demonstrations", in which "dozens of thousands of people" took to the streets in favor of the right to housing and a salary that allows them to have "a higher quality of life."