Note by the Interview:

-Johan is Belgian. It is he who has lived all the violent situations. Mario, his partner, has suffered the consequences of this harassment and is currently in psychological treatment. He also took part in the interview.

- They are currently involved in a lawsuit after reporting death threats they have received.

FACTS:

- The first clash took place in November 2009, when Johan, after repeatedly asking them to stop, took a picture of a group of radicals painting graffiti on the wall of his shop. The young people insulted him, told him to go back to his country and, in addition, threatened him. Johan reported what had happened to the Ertzaintza (Regional Police).

- After that, Johan decided to remove and dispose of all the signs that affected his business.

- Some days later, a message was painted on the wall of his premises: “txibatoak, adi egon” (informers beware). They also reported this event.

- On July 24, 2010, the eve of St. James (holiday), three young men entered the premises. Johan was inside. When he saw them, he challenged them but they were too many. He stayed behind the counter and decided to take some photographs of them when they were leaving.

- The next day, July 25, 2010, St. James day (holiday), some young people broke some plant pots he had outside his shop.

- On January 28, 2011, the day after the general strike called by nationalist unions, he found a message painted on the wall of his premises: “txibatoak sutara” (“burn informers”).

- On February 26, 2011, the same radical whom they had reported for threatening them previously (an issue that will be seen in court shortly) spat on the shop window.  In addition, another woman, said to Johan: “Be careful what you do. Stick to selling handbags and be careful what you say”.

CONSEQUENCES:

J.G.: This all started with the graffiti they usually painted on the shop walls. They type of graffiti that can be seen along the entire street. It’s seen as normal in this street, but they are my walls, the walls of my business, and I think having walls full of graffiti on either side of the shop window is bad for my business. It is unattractive for customers. I asked the people that were painting the walls to stop. I had nothing against them, but I didn’t want them to spoil my business.

M.G.: They kept on painting the graffiti. Until one day, Johan decided to take some pictures while they were doing it. They saw him.  There were 5 people, and Johan faced up to them. He asked them, once again, to stop painting graffiti. Threatened to kill him and told him to go back to his country. We called the police. This was in November 2009. We shall now be having the trial.

It seemed that that was the end of it. But some days later, more graffiti appeared on either side of the entrance to the shop with the initials of PSOE in the centre of a target and a threat in Basque: “txibatoak, adi egon” (informers beware). Johan did not understand the meaning of the message, he was just angry because they had painted on the walls again. But I realised that this was more serious because it was a direct threat. I told him that we had to call the Police to report this. This was a few months after the first incident with the graffiti.

The fact is that after all this, Johan was very angry and went to a bar next door looking for those responsible, who we know go to that bar. After a while we realised that they had prepared some leaflets that had been distributed in bars in the area, threatening, insulting and pointing to Johan as an “aggressor of the popular movement”.

J.G.: I have no rights in this street. I opened a shop here, I am trying to make a living and I find that if someone defaces my walls and I get angry and challenge them, it is I who is in the wrong; I am the one getting into trouble. People have come to believe that I am an undercover cop!

M.G.: Nobody has shown their support, no neighbours, no other shops in the street. They think that it is Johan who has somehow caused the situation. There is one neighbour who told us that he had already gone through this same situation. That he could not even go outside. They say that things were much worse in the past. That things are rather quiet now, that it’s only graffiti. But what does that mean, that they have to burn the place down for it to be taken seriously? People seem to think that it isn’t very important and that not much can be done.

J.G.: This is the ghetto of Vitoria. There are always posters and graffiti in Cuchillería Street. On the eve of St. James (July 24), 2010, three young men came into my shop. I was inside. There were many people on the street, and some stayed to look but they didn’t do anything. Although I am big, I was scared, but I got the camera and I took a picture of the kids who had entered. I called the Police. When they arrived, I showed them the photograph. They said that they could only see their backs and that they were unable to identify anyone and that it was no help at all.

M.G.: On August 8, 2010, the same young people threw a plant pot at the shop window and broke it. Johan identified kids, who were in a bar next door, but the police didn’t want to go into the bar. It was the festive period in Vitoria and there were lots of people in the street. A group of about ten people started to insult me. We called the Police. Johan identified those responsible, but the police didn’t want to do anything. They said they had no proof and that they were unable to arrest anybody without proof.

Moreover, the sign outside the shop has been stolen twice in this period. We have reported it but they have ignored us. They say that any thug may have taken it. They have not linked all these events. And we think that there have been a sufficient number of events for the Police to take this case seriously.

One of the latest was they day of the general strike (January 27, 2011). Johan did not want to close the shop. In the end, some friends and I convinced him that he had to close, that it was crazy, after all that had happened, to open the shop that day. Even so, they painted another message the next day: “txibatoa sutara” (burn informers).

We went to file a complaint, but the police now see Johan as that “tiresome Belgian”. Johan asked to speak with the highest ranking officer in the police station because he believed that he was not being treated as he should, but they ignored him.

Two officers were assigned to study our case. I called them when all this happened, and they told me that the report taken was a mess. We went back to the police station. They accepted the photograph that they hadn’t wanted to accept in the previous complaint because they had said it wasn’t any use, they told us they had to link a number of events that, until then, had been taken as independent events.

The last episode happened on February 26, 2011.  It was Saturday. They had called a demonstration that I think was eventually banned. They went to the “Kutxi” to have a few drinks together in what was, in the end, an impromptu demonstration. They were escorted by the police to prevent any trouble. They passed opposite the shop. When everyone had passed, even the police vans at the back of the group; two people came into the shop. The first one spat on the window. This was the same guy we had reported to the police for the death threat. Another woman approached Johan and warned him: “Be careful what you do. Stick to selling handbags and be careful what you say”. Johan was alone in the shop and he wasn’t afraid. He called the police, but they didn’t come. The police said that they had done their job, which was to ensure that the group of people did not cause riots. They hadn’t heard about what had happened to us.

We have been in this situation for almost four years. I am undergoing psychiatric treatment. The police have treated us very badly. They have even told us that if we didn’t like the street we should look for another place and leave the area.

We have lodged lots of complaints. Now we have a trial for the first only, the one connected with the death threat. We don’t understand why all the events are not investigated as a whole and judged as such.

J.G.: I come from Belgium. I come from one democratic country to another democratic country, and I have to tolerate this kind of thing. I am amazed at what happens here. I can understand that everyone wants to defend their political positions. But I don’t understand how posters of murderers, criminals can be put up or that graffiti can be painted on shop walls without the owners saying anything.

M.G.: We can’t take it any longer. We are alone, we feel very vulnerable and the truth is we don’t even want to carry on with this any more. We have been thinking about selling the business and forgetting all this for some time. And, in the end that is what we will do. We shall close the shop because we can’t take it any longer.

Panfleto