Guardia Civil injured at local football match
Violence breaks out at the end of the game
KNOWN football hooligans descended on Pego displaying stickers with fascist symbols on Sunday.
The northern Marina Alta town’s local team was playing CF Gandia, and along with the usual fan base, a fringe group of radicals known as the ‘ Gandiablues Ultras’ turned up.
Police – tipped off by local residents who were familiar with the group’s reputation – say the 40 or so members began plastering public fixtures with stickers bearing far- right symbols and at least 50 Pego residents and people from neighbouring towns arrived to stage an anti- fascism demonstration.
Guardia Civil back- up was called in and all entrances to the stadium were closed off after the match started at 17.00.
A spokesman for the
Guardia Civil stated that the force is investigating ‘ the assault of six of our officers during
a public order altercation’.
He said that officers detected a large presence of opposition fans outside the stadium at around 18.30.
When their special anti- riot officers arrived from Alicante the so- called fans started to throw objects at them which included bottles, stones and kerb stones.
This led to the injuries and damage to their equipment.
“Finally the officers were able to escort all the players, the staff and the CF Gandía supporters to their vehicles without any further incidents,” added the spokesman.
A 24- year- old man from Pego has been arrested in connection with the clash and charged with pubic order offences and a ‘ hate crime’.
The spokesman said an investigation is continuing to identify all the people responsible for the injuries to the officers.