Isaac Padrós, a Junts member of the Catalan Parliament, has filed a complaint against a National Police officer over alleged treatment of his family at a La Jonquera office in Girona province while renewing his daughter’s national identity card on 29 July.

Padrós, who is blind, alleges that officers reacted adversely to the family speaking Catalan and that he was humiliated over not seeing a notice about the fee exemption for large families. The officer has also filed a complaint against Padrós for alleged disobedience, according to Ara.

The case concerns a routine appointment that residents of La Jonquera and the Alt Empordà use to renew Spain’s DNI national identity card. Padrós’s complaint says his recognised large-family status exempted the family from the document’s issuing fee.

Complaint alleges language discrimination and intimidation

According to the complaint, officers showed displeasure from the start because Padrós, his wife and their daughter spoke Catalan. The officer processing the application said the family should have declared their large-family status at the beginning of the appointment and told them they would have to pay the fee.

Padrós refused to pay. The complaint says the family was moved to another part of the room, where up to seven further officers entered, and that the officer again asked Padrós in Spanish whether he would pay. Padrós repeated his refusal in Catalan.

The family alleges they received “hostile, humiliating and discriminatory” treatment.

The complaint alleges that, after the officer asked to identify Padrós, his wife took out his DNI card. It says the officer grabbed her arm and took the document “abruptly”, without explaining the reason for the identification request.

Five alleged offences named in the filing

Padrós has accused the officer of five alleged offences:

  • an offence against the exercise of civic rights;
  • discriminatory denial of a public service by a public official;
  • an offence against moral integrity by a public official;
  • falsification of an official document; and
  • coercion, pleaded as an alternative allegation.

The allegations are contained in Padrós’s complaint and have not been established by a court. The officer’s complaint against Padrós alleges disobedience.

Reported by Source Text Link, europapress.es, russpain.com, Jordi Martín, EFE, Por Fede Sáenz Seguir, COMUNICACIÓ - RTVE CATALUNYA, Martina Alcobendas, El País Barcelona, elmotordegirona.cat, naciodigital.cat.