The ridiculous and victim-playing propaganda of the riot police

You might remember the series Riot policeA Movistar+ police drama that delved into the professional and domestic struggles of a group of men from the Spanish police's riot control units (UIP). In the final minute of the last episode, the protagonists arrived in Barcelona to quell the protests against the verdict in the Trials trial. One of the characters was giving a lecture to a rookie colleague:Relax, it's like anything else. You just need a little firmness and a little common sense. And if you throw in a little swagger... you've got it.But reality was less epic.

The Filmin platform has just launched Icarus: The Week in FlamesA documentary that revels in the police drama experienced by the UIP officers who participated in that operation. The epic music and the enormous Spanish flag immediately warn you that this is a documentary about a labor of love. However, fully aware that what you're about to see is pure propaganda, it's worth watching. With a critical eye, you can draw some interesting conclusions. The dim lighting in which the police officers are filmed is intended to accentuate the narrative drama and the physical heroism they portray. The musical emotionality is so obvious it's laughable. But there are magnificent images that show the protests and demonstrations against the verdict in a way we haven't seen before. The footage from the airport, Urquinaona, and inside the vans is impressive. The documentary has access to the body cameras worn by the officers and includes audio recordings of their communications. You'll witness their reactions and, above all, an unprecedented police melodrama. You'll see sequences where the riot police resemble Pancho Villa's army. Rather than ruthless elite units prepared to face difficult situations, you will see a handful of men admitting their ineffectiveness, weeping, and recalling their fear. Just as documentaries about elite US military units have narratives of power and control where they boast of their expertise and strength, Icarus: The Week in Flames His victimhood is almost comical. At times it seems like a parody of... PolandIn reality, neither firmness, neither head neither swaggerBut yes, a lot of despair.Our ammunition isn't infinite. Theirs is.", "If we clicked there, we'd end up in the history books.", "When there is a war, the enemy seeks casualties.", "The target was us, not the protest. There was hatred.They maintain the bombastic rhetoric we already heard in the police statements during the trial. The epic narrative is so cheap and ridiculous that it exposes the narrative deficiencies of their point of view. What's astonishing isn't the propaganda (which we're already familiar with), it's the way they portray the police. Icarus: The Week in Flames It's a documentary that makes you want to go back out on the streets. Judging by what these police officers say, perhaps independence was just around the corner after all.