Education minister Wert gets rough reception in Tenerife at reopening of La Laguna cathedral

[Perikles]

Guanche makes a valid point, but the crowd of protestors were deliberately kept a long way from the cathedral so that the god squad could not hear them during their chanting. There is a fine distinction between controlling a crowd legitimately and arranging for them not to be noticed, and as Janet points out, the police seem increasing used to make any kind of protest totally ineffective.

[Guanche]

But the police are not being used. Its their duty to do exactly what we see here regardless of government involvement or not. What you see in the video is no different to what you might see at any local derby football match..... or any football match or sporting event or in fact any gathering of two groups who have contradicting views. Its what we allow the police to do. To stand in between two conflicting groups to hopefully keep the peace for the public and that meansallthe public not just lawful and peaceful demonstrators or the malcontents.
It matters not one jot what the individual officer may think its of no consequence he or she is there to do a job of work (OK I'm not saying the police are perfect far from it) so its their job to keep the peace, and that's what they were dong here. Its got nothing to do with Government.
Why is it authoritarian for a democratically elected government to make laws, or rather put them before a democratically elected Parliament for their perusal and debate. Like it or not there can be no doubt that this government is democratically elected, shower of bastards that they are! And Parliament is there to make laws and make amendments and above all govern.

As for the new offending law, as I understand it there isn't a cat in hell's chance of it becoming full law and even if it is the opposition has stated that it will repeal it as soon as it get into power.
As for La Laguna it seems that the main focus of the demonstration was no about the 'Wart' law but about the waste of public money the rebuild of the Church was.

[Janet]

You have a valid point, but just suppose the government decided to do away with elections. That's it, we're staying in power. And then the police police protests. At what point is a government decision sufficiently undemocratic to justify strong public protest?

[Guanche]

Guanche makes a valid point, but the crowd of protestors were deliberately kept a long way from the cathedral so that the god squad could not hear them during their chanting. There is a fine distinction between controlling a crowd legitimately and arranging for them not to be noticed, and as Janet points out, the police seem increasing used to make any kind of protest totally ineffective.

Knowing the area quite well (we go to the coffee shop just on the corner in the opening shot) the public weren't all that far away. Personally and with a professional eye where they had the barricades was the only option. I don't think it was put there for the sensibility's of the 'congregation' and they would have been able to hear the demonstration quite well.

Speaking about the film its revealing, for me, that the target of the demonstration was never shown. His arrival and his departure was left out and the only focus seems to have been the violence and confrontation with the police. One can only wonder why that is?

[Guanche]

You have a valid point, but just suppose the government decided to do away with elections. That's it, we're staying in power. And then the police police protests. At what point is a government decision sufficiently undemocratic to justify strong public protest?

You have to remember that the police are members of the public. They live where the public live, they have family's just like everyone else. Do we really think that the entire Police service would don jack boots and start doing the goose step at the request of a couple of hundred politicions? This one wouldn't have. If the government did that I think the Police would be the last problem the public have. Civil war would be the call.

[Janet]

But you are getting close to arguing that the public's democratic right to protest comes down to the right to vote every several years ... and nothing else ...

[Guanche]

No, what I'm saying is that change can be made without violence. OK I will concede that there may come a time when the pen is put down and the sword taken up, I'm not that naive. But I see nothing in Spain at the moment, and I see plenty of things that are not right, that would necessitate anyone taking up the sword especially not single sex schools or a no hoper of a law about abortion.
I do see a general dissatisfaction within Spain, as with many other countries, but the power to change is in the hands of the public not the PP or POSE party's. If the public don't want them they can make them shrivel on the vine. But if all the public do is commit violence or wring their hands saying 'Que Vida dios mio' and 'Police state Police state'! then they will get exactly what the deserve, crap!

There are more ways to skin a cat and bring down a government ask Gandhi

[Michael]

I know I don't live in Spain but this applies anywhere.

I sometimes get into long threads on FB where there can be dozens of folk ranting about something the council has done.

But as soon as I ask, 'How many of you voted in the last council election?' it goes very quiet.