The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Monday urged Spanish authorities to swiftly investigate an attack on reporter José Ismael Martínez that occurred during clashes between police and far-left protesters in Pamplona on October 30. The group stated authorities should prosecute the perpetrators and protect journalists during protests. 

At the protest by far-left Basque separatists, Martínez was reportedly surrounded by five or six individuals as he was filming a group of masked protesters. He works for the online newspaper El Español and was wearing a clearly visible press ID, the outlet reported. After first throwing several objects at Martínez, the attackers further insulted him, cornered him, and kicked him while he lay on the ground, according to local news sources. Following the assault, he received emergency treatment for eye injuries at a hospital, which he describes in an article in El Español.

The unauthorized protests formed near the University of Navarra in response to a planned event by Vito Quiles, a young far-right political activist who, using provocative debate-style events, takes inspiration from the late American activist Charlie Kirk. The protests were in line with the long-standing anti-fascist stance of separatist groups in the Spanish Basque region.

The event was cancelled the day prior due to concerns about the police’s inability to guarantee his security amid possible threats from external groups. A University of Navarra professor instead stated on X that the University would not be a place for political activism and would only host educational events. After the protests and clashes which led to two arrests and four police officers being injured, the directoral board of the Spanish University of La Laguna also cancelled a planned event by Quiles on November 4, claiming they want to protect the campus as a space for respectful exchange of knowledge within the limits of human rights and truthful information.

Attacks on journalists, while being relevant under national criminal jurisdiction, are violations of the fundamental right to freedom of expression, pluralism, and freedom of the press under the European Charter of Fundamental Rights (Article 11) and the European Convention of Human Rights (Article 10).