According to a member of the assembly, the police are never called as a result of someone not paying for a ticket and the man was stopped purely because he refused to show his papers indicating that he may not have all the documents required by Spanish law to live in Spain.
A witness to the attempted police detention of the man ran to the Assembly in the square above and reported what she had seen to those taking part who immediately mobilised themselves to intervene in the detention.
“No human being is illegal,” and, “Get out of the neighbourhood,” were among the chants of the people who proceeded to prevent the police vehicles from taking away the detained man.
Police reinforcements dressed in riot gear arrived but eventually had to withdraw without taking away the Senegalese.
Despite the tension there were no reports of violence or injuries.
Ever since May the 15th this year Spaniards around the country and overseas have been meeting in huge numbers in the squares of all the major cities as a response to the crippling level of national debt as a result of the financial crisis, the highest levels of unemployment within the EU and a culture of political corruption and ineffectiveness.
Nonviolence has almost exclusively marked these protests that have seen hundreds of thousands on the streets. Initiatives such as nonviolent protests to stop the authorities from evicting those who are unable to pay their mortgages have been increasing and currently eight marches starting at different parts of the Spanish coast and border are converging on the capital, Madrid, for a huge event on the 23rd of July.
For video footage of the police withdrawal from Lavapiés: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOJt0vYQ2qk
