Basque Police Report: 64% of Detainees Are Foreigners

Basque Police Report: 64% of Detainees Are Foreigners

The Ertzaintza (Basque police) has published the geographic origin of its detainees, revealing that 64% of those arrested are foreigners. The data is further complicated by another uncomfortable statistic for the official narrative: 67% of those detained for violent robbery are of North African origin. This decision to make these figures public comes after years where, according to analysts, such statistics remained out of the public spotlight. The PNV (Basque Nationalist Party) cited "transparency" to justify the release, a move interpreted by many as an electoral calculation rather than a genuine commitment to information.

PNV and Transparency: Conviction or Electoral Calculation?

The publication of this data was not received as a mere statistical operation. Some argue that the PNV holds internal polls predicting a significant decline, suggesting that transparency emerges only when the electoral ground begins to shift. The context includes a change in the mayoralty of San Sebastián and rumors regarding a potential candidate switch in Bilbao. Simultaneously, attention is drawn to Bildu's entry into social layers previously dominated by the PNV, including the affluent middle class.

The prevailing argument is that the PNV believed it owned a high percentage of votes, attributing any loss to Bildu to the PSOE or Podemos, never to its own ranks. When the bleeding became evident, the margin for reaction narrowed. In the recent regional elections in Bilbao, the PNV mobilized additional votes compared to 2020, but Bildu secured even more. High abstention rates persisted, and a sense of weariness has taken hold in the analysis.

The Uncomfortable Data: 67% of Violent Robberies

The specific figure that ignited the debate is that 67% of detainees for violent robbery are of North African origin. Additionally, 64% of total detainees are foreigners. For years, it is argued, these statistics were silenced or handled with caution. The current publication is read as a surrender to evidence rather than an educational exercise.

Some recall that when lists of detainees were circulated during local festivals, the institutional response was condemnation. A case is mentioned involving a list of detainees from Bilbao's 2023 festivals, where out of 70 individuals, the vast majority were of North African origin, with only one of different ethnic background. The dissemination of such data led to complaints, fueling the thesis that the issue was not the data itself, but who published it.

Institutional Response and Bildu's Shift

Bildu's discourse on immigration and crime has until now explicitly denied any link between the two. An interview is recalled where their spokesperson rejected connecting these phenomena, adding sarcastically that someone had to serve the coffee. This framework has cracked with the release of Ertzaintza data.

The lingering question is whether this shift responds to real social pressure or short-term calculation. Some maintain that governments only react when they perceive a threat to their seats, arguing that without such danger, opacity would continue. Experiences in other areas, like Almería, where similar situations have been reported for over two decades without response, are cited as examples that visibility depends on electoral impact.

European Context and Comparison with Catalonia

The Basque situation is compared to Catalonia, where an identity-focused party critical of immigration has capitalized on discontent. In the Basque Country, no such alternative has yet emerged, attributed to social control and environmental pressures hindering its rise. Speculation exists about the possibility of a similar party forming, but so far, it has not materialized.

The analysis also points to a deep sociological change: the traditional bourgeoisie and classic middle class that voted for the PNV is shrinking, along with its electoral base. Political disengagement and abstention are growing, and the space left by the PNV is being occupied by Bildu or simply remaining empty.

What About Crime and Origin Data?

Publishing this data raises a fundamental question: should geographic origin be linked to incivil? The Ertzaintza has chosen to make it public. The debate over whether this constitutes racism or transparency is now open. Some defend that hiding reality does not solve it, while others warn of the risk of stigmatizing entire groups.

What seems clear is that publishing these figures has broken a taboo. From now on, any discourse denying the link between immigration and crime must contend with the numbers from the Basque police itself. The question remains whether this will change anything in practice or if it will just become another uncomfortable datum in the archives.

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Will transparency last if polls change?