Who orders that Estelades be removed from stadiums?

BarcelonaThe estelada is a legal flag that is not part of the set of symbols banned in sports competitions such as football, but it is being seized in numerous matches of football, basketball, and other disciplines, especially outside Catalonia. What happened this Sunday in Elx, topped with a brutal assault on a minor who was carrying an estelada, has once again raised a question: who is ordering the confiscation of this flag left and right? Even more so considering that the ultimate responsibility of the state police force lies with the Ministry of the Interior, commanded by the socialist Fernando Grande-Marlaska.

Ministry sources tell ARA that they are unaware of any specific order from political leaders regarding the confiscation of estelades. This version coincides with the one given by the Catalan government this Tuesday. The executive's spokesperson, Sílvia Paneque, explained that the Spanish executive's delegation in the Valencian Community, led by Pilar Bernabé, informed them that "there were no instructions to requisition flags" and added that "if someone ordered it on their own, it must be investigated." "The only prohibited items in a sporting event are flags inciting direct hatred, which is not the case with estelades," Paneque stated.

The only internal investigation currently open within the Spanish police force is regarding "disproportionate use of force" and not about who gave the order to confiscate estelades, confirmed sources from the Ministry of the Interior to ARA. Barça fan groups denounce the systematic confiscation of estelades during away games. This also happens with other Catalan teams. For example, a Joventut de Badalona fan was expelled in mid-June from the Roig Arena in Valencia for carrying an estelada in a basketball game, and several fans who were with him were identified. It is not, therefore, an isolated incident.

More estelades

The Spanish government has taken refuge in the internal investigation opened at the request of the delegate in the Valencian Community to avoid commenting on the police intervention in Elche, which has generated much indignation among independence supporters and Barça itself, with the legal horizon open. On the other hand, the ANC has announced that this Thursday it will distribute 10,000 Catalan flags outside the Camp Nou before the blaugrana club's match against Athletic Club de Bilbao, in which a tribute is planned for the world champions with the Spanish national team. "No tribute to the team of oppressors," the pro-independence entity stated on social media.