Meet Spain's New Director General de Policia

It's really strange for us extranjeros how things work here in Spain sometimes.  I mean you will often hear us grumbling about the ambivalence of waiters and bartenders, the smoking that still goes on in non-smoking areas especially after dark, and that whole close-the-business-down-from-2pm-to-5pm thing that still surprises us when we forget about it.  So figuring out Spanish politics can be as mysterious as a Stephen Hawking documentary to us even on a good day.  Therefore, I am not going to draw any conclusions from the things I have dug up in the past couple of days.  I'll let you readers, especially the Spaniards tell me what all this means below in the comment section.

In the past couple weeks, the Conservative Popular Party (PP) took the reins of power from the Socialists (PSOE) in what could be described as an electoral drubbing.  Mariano Rajoy was sworn in as the new Spanish prime minister on December 21, after 8 years of Socialist Party rule.  Mr. Rajoy has been mostly out of sight in his first few weeks in office.  However, 3 interesting decisions have already been made.  First, the new government decided that the Spanish tear gas reserves needed to be replenished and OKed a 1-million Euro purchase of the chemical weapon used mostly to keep protesters in line.  Second, Mr. Rajoy bowed to US pressure and passed the Ley Sinde, which makes its US counterpart SOPA look impotent in comparison.  And finally, and you would not even know this from the media or any other source because it was not covered as an important news event, but for an Indignado it is of vital importance -- a new Director General del Cuerpo Nacional de Policia was appointed. 

Palencia Congressional diputado, Ignacio Cosidó, was named Director General of the national police force just a few days ago.  At his first official meeting with his agents Mr. Cosidó said, "Dedicaré todos mis esfuerzos a la Policía Nacional y a la seguridad de todos los españoles" (I will dedicate all of my efforts towards the National Police and towards the security of all Spaniards).  For now, we immigrants and foreigners living, working and traveling in Spain will assume this was a slip of the tongue.  Surely Mr. Cosidó meant to say he would be protecting everyone in Spain, regardless of his/her nationality.  But then again, after reading over a few of Mr. Cosidó's tweets and Facebook posts the past few weeks, I ask that you pardon me if some doubts remain.  I mean, we can forgive the slip-up about forgetting the non-Spaniards in your first speech, and while we agree with this Tweet condemning the killing of Christians, we must ask if it is yet another slip, or do you not care about the killing of Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and various other non-Christian religions?  And as Director of Police, will you be enforcing the rules and laws the same for people of these religions and communities that you continue to forget?

Also, how is the Director General position chosen?  Being from outside Spain, I wonder how it is that a Congressional representative is suddenly named the head of the country's police force?  Please tell me that it has nothing to do with kissing up to the new prime minister, for I must confess that these Tweets from back in December are the source of some of my doubts.

Since those messages, and others like them were sent out in the weeks leading up to the change in government, you can see why somebody from abroad might think that this appointment could be a payoff for loyalty or perhaps for a vote.  At least Mr. Cosidó has promised to look after the security of all Spaniards, and we assume that means from the right and left.  However, this tweet makes me think that perhaps the new Director of Police could be biased in this regard?  Or do you also hope that the right does not fall for the "temptation of violence", but simply forgot to say it?

We Indignados sincerely hope that the police under Mr. Cosidó stop falling for the temptation of violence at once!  While the Director of the National Police most likely exerts little control over the municipal and regional forces, Mr. Cosidó could use his influence to stop attacks by the Police on peaceful protesters, such as the one that occurred at the Cabalgata Indignada in Madrid on December 28, when the Madrid Police charged into, and clubbed peaceful protesters in the Puerta Alcala, or the chasing down and assault by Spanish Riot Police on a female protester and cameraman in Madrid just a few months ago (brutally graphic video below).

In this time of crisis, we all need to make do with less.  This includes not only the residents of Spain, but also the government.  Billions in cuts have already been announced, and billions more are on the way.  So what are the thoughts of the newly appointed Director General de Policia on these cuts, and what does he think of the ubiquitous chant heard throughout the streets of Spanish cities these days, "Menos policia, mas educacion!"  These tweets lead me to believe that the people of Spain will have to bear the burden of the billions of Euros in recortes that are coming, and forget about the Spanish Police taking part in the austerity.

Really?  With billions in cuts coming to almost every program and region in Spain, the Director General de Polica thinks there are not enough police?  This may be the one time that Mr. Rajoy and his lackey are right.  Think about it.  Germany and France are already grumbling about how deficit spending is going to be 8+% instead of the 6% that the PSOE ridiculously maintained.  They want more cuts.  And since Mr. Rajoy has already made Spain kowtow to the demands of the American ambassador with the SINDE law, is there any doubt at all as to whether he will be doing the same when the EU asks for more?

The Indignados will not take that lying down.  As a matter of fact, now that I think about it, 1 million Euros in tear gas and a few thousand more police might not be enough.