Around 2,000 protesters took to the streets of the Spanish city of Bilbao on Sunday to condemn the Basque police’s abusive treatment of activists from a Gaza aid flotilla on their return from detention in Israel.

Police were filmed hitting people with batons and dragging them across the floor, before detaining four of them.

Video of the incident showed supporters gathered in the arrivals hall to welcome six of the anti-Israel campaigners as they arrived on a flight from Turkey after having been detained and deported by Israeli forces. Police then began striking people with batons and pinning others to the ground while onlookers jeered.

At Sunday’s march, pro-Palestinian demonstrators carried banners criticizing the Basque police force and accusing the local government of being “complicit with Zionism.”

The Basque regional police force said in a statement on Sunday that it had launched an investigation to determine whether officers had complied with procedures. The Spanish government did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the investigation.

Francesca Albanese, a UN expert on the Palestinian territories, has called for those responsible for events at Bilbao airport to be held responsible, while Amnesty International has demanded a thorough investigation.

Breaking: Huge protests erupted in Bilbao, northern Spain, against the Basque police assault on Sumud Flotilla supporters who returned yesterday through Bilbao Airport, after shocking footage of the attack spread widely online. pic.twitter.com/sUsbpMp4Ul — Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) May 24, 2026

Breaking: Huge protests erupted in Bilbao, northern Spain, against the Basque police........

© The Times of Israel