Unrest in Pamplona during the protest over the act of ultra agitator Vito Quiles

Protesters clashed with police in Pamplona on Thursday after far-right agitator Vito Quiles began a new tour in the city. The event, scheduled for 6 p.m., was met with demonstrations against him in the Old Town and surrounding areas, leading to incidents involving thrown bottles and stones. A person has been detained following the disturbances, according to government sources in Navarra. Security forces remained deployed across several streets of the city hours after the event concluded. The demonstration against Quiles started earlier in the day with two separate protests. One began at 5:30 p.m. in Plaza del Castillo with slogans such as "Euskal Herria no al fascismo" and "Fuera fascistas de nuestras calles." Another protest, organized by GKS Iruñerria, took place at 5 p.m. in Plaza de la Compañía with the slogan "Ante el fascismo, unidad de clase." These groups moved later to Yamaguchi Park, where tensions escalated before Quiles arrived. Quiles reached Yamaguchi Park shortly after 6:40 p.m., but stayed there for only 10 minutes before leaving in a van. By this time, clashes had already occurred between protesters from both sides, with bottles and stones being thrown, and trash bins overturned. Police intervened, using force and making at least one arrest. This incident follows controversy stirred by Quiles on social media last week. After the October 12 national holiday parade in Madrid, a bus collected members of the Legion from the Colón Square back to their base in Almería. Quiles boarded the bus, and soldiers chanted his name while shouting "¡A por los rojos!" The footage was uploaded by Quiles online, prompting an investigation by the Army into the soldiers who cheered him and accompanied him during his speeches. Quiles' supporters, numbering around a hundred, greeted him with cheers and banners reading "Fascista el que te silencia" and "Libertad de Expresión." During his brief speech, he stated that "Navarra is more Spanish than ever," while his supporters responded with chants of "Pedro Sánchez, hijo de puta." He warned that in the upcoming general elections on November 29, the current government would be sent "to the garbage can of history." Meanwhile, the anti-Quiles demonstration in Plaza del Castillo featured slogans such as "Euskal Herria no al fascismo" and "Por Euskal Herria no pasarán." In Plaza de la Compañía, a march organized by GKS Iruñerria covered the streets of the Old Town with the slogan "Ante el fascismo, unidad de clase." A group of radicals overturned several trash bins and blocked traffic. Police intervention included charges and the use of tear gas, according to reports. This is not the first time an event organized by Quiles in Pamplona ended in incidents. Last year, another event at the University of Pamplona resulted in two arrests and an attack on journalist José Ismael Martínez from El Español, who was severely assaulted by masked individuals while reporting on the disturbances, according to his publication. Following the events of Thursday, the Government of Navarra rejected Quiles' "hate speeches" and condemned "any violent response" categorically. Officials expressed rejection of Quiles' attitude and polarization, stating these were "far removed from the values of respect and coexistence shared by society in Navarra." They emphasized that Navarra is a land of welcome, plurality, and coexistence, and that everyone is free to move and express themselves within the framework of fundamental rights that protect democracy. Freedom of expression is essential, but cannot serve as justification for hate speeches, intolerance, or confrontation. Police have charged three individuals, including a minor, with offenses such as assault on law enforcement officers and public disorder. The suspects were arrested after causing disturbances by overturning trash bins and throwing bottles and stones at police officers. The incidents occurred outside a funeral home and in Yamaguchi Park itself. Last year, a failed attempt to organize an event by Quiles generated disturbances in Pamplona. As a result, multiple units of the National Police's UIP (anti-riot) and the Local Police cordoned off the square where the event took place with a heavy police presence. Indeed, the agitator criticized the University of Navarra for advising students last year not to attend events promoted by Quiles. Minutes before 6 p.m., hundreds of GKS demonstrators arrived at Yamaguchi with a banner reading "Faxistak. Alde hemendik" ("Fascists, get out of here" in Basque). A police cordon surrounded them while about fifty followers of Quiles waited in the square. Tension increased until the police began charging. Quiles referred to this group as "those who shoot in the back of the head," while his thirty supporters cheered and chanted "Spain one, not fifty-one" and "Pedro Sánchez, son of a bitch." "They would love to open my head," he remarked about the protesters contained by the riot police. After the police dispersed the protesters, they went through streets near the square and began overturning trash bins and throwing bottles and stones at the officers. It wasn't until the police had driven away the protesters that Quiles appeared, having arrived in a vehicle and asking the police to escort him. "I can't go out alone," he asked after staying in the square for about 15 minutes. He came with a bracelet bearing the flag of Spain. In his speech, attended mainly by journalists covering the event, he mentioned how difficult it is to live in Pamplona because it is full of "ETA terrorists." He also said that Navarra is "more Spanish than ever." Throughout the time, he was protected by men dressed in black wearing sunglasses.