Spanish police on Saturday detained four people at Bilbao airport following clashes that broke out after activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla returned home, according to officials in Spain.
Video of the incident showed supporters gathered in the arrivals hall to welcome six campaigners as they arrived on a flight from Turkey after having been detained and deported by Israeli forces.
When a relative of one of the activists tried to approach them, a police officer forcefully prevented him from doing so, leading to scuffles between both sides, public broadcaster TVE reported.
Images broadcast by the station show police striking people with batons at the airport and pinning others to the ground while being jeered by onlookers.
Four people were arrested for serious disobedience, resisting arrest and assaulting law enforcement officers, the Basque regional police force, the Ertzaintza, says in a statement.
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“Following what happened at the airport, the Ertzaintza internal affairs division has launched an investigation to determine whether the officers’ conduct complied with procedures,” it adds.
We demand an explanation from the Spanish government regarding its treatment of the flotilla anarchists. pic.twitter.com/RHMPVAWbwz
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) May 23, 2026
Sharing a video of officers beating and detaining the activists, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said: “We demand an explanation from the Spanish government regarding its treatment of the flotilla anarchists.”
The incident came after National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir sparked a diplomatic incident over a video he released showing him taunting the activists as they were forced to kneel on the floor with their hands bound. The video immediately sparked an international outcry, with dozens of countries condemning Israel’s treatment of the detained activists.
Spain, who has led Europe in anti-Israel policy and rhetoric over the past several years, issued one of the sharpest condemnations of the video and called on the European Union to suspend its trade agreement with Israel.
The Spanish government did not immediately comment on incident at the Bilbao airport.
Basque police officers detain members of the Global Sumud Flotilla upon their arrival at Bilbao airport on May 23, 2026. (Idurre Etxaburu / AFP)
Relations between Spain and Israel have plummeted since Madrid began heavily criticizing Jerusalem over the Gaza war sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terror atrocities in Israel.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called Israel’s subsequent military campaign against Hamas in Gaza a “genocide” — a charge that Israel firmly denies.
Israel recalled its ambassador after Madrid recognized a Palestinian state in 2024, while Spain formally dismissed its own top envoy in Tel Aviv in March.
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