Lorraine Williamson
An alleged incident of police brutality has rattled holidaymakers and locals in Marbella, after witnesses described an aggressive and unprovoked response by local police at Puerto Deportivo beach earlier today.
The confrontation began when officers on quad bikes chased a so-called “mantero” street vendor along the sand and into the port area. These informal sellers of imitation goods are a familiar presence on Marbella’s beaches, and although technically illegal, enforcement has typically been light-handed. Until recently.
This time, the police pursuit took a darker turn. The man stopped voluntarily and raised his hands in submission, but according to those who witnessed the event, the officers removed the visors from their helmets and began shouting aggressively in his face. He did not respond physically.
What happened next stunned onlookers.
Another man, who had witnessed the incident and tried to defend the street vendor verbally, found himself the next target. Police reportedly turned on him, chasing him into a neighbouring beachside bar. In the commotion, he tripped over a table, sending glasses and drinks crashing to the floor. Witnesses say officers then slammed his head repeatedly on a table and against the ground, hitting him with a baton while horrified customers shouted at them to stop.
Spanish man arrested for intervening
The violent scene prompted a Spanish man, clad in swimming shorts, to run from the beach and step in to confront the police. He reportedly demanded they stop the brutality and said there was no need for the violence. However, instead of defusing the situation, officers turned their attention to him, engaging in a heated argument before arresting him.
His wife, visibly distressed, screaming and suffering a panic attack, begged officers to de-escalate. She said, “We just came down to spend the day on the beach”. They told her to move away as they put her husband in the back of a police car.
There were 2 police cars and 4 quad bikes. Witnesses say they were all “brutal”. They were shouting at members of the public who dared to attempt to intervene or take videos.
This was not an isolated disturbance. A staff member from a nearby bar, who had witnessed the violence and attempted to intervene, phoned Spain’s National Police to report the incident. However, the national force did not arrive before the local officers left the scene.
Around an hour later, the same local police returned—not to explain their actions, but to confront the woman who had made the call to the National Police. According to those present, she was pulled aside and told to “mind her own business”.
A changing climate on Marbella’s coast
In the past fortnight, there has been a noticeable shift in the way police handle unlicensed vendors in Marbella. Social media has captured a rise in aggressive beach patrols, with quad bikes chasing sellers between parasols and sunbeds.
This crackdown comes in the wake of another recent viral incident—this time showing a street seller violently attacking a police officer during an altercation. The footage sparked backlash and may have contributed to the more assertive police presence now being witnessed.
However, today’s events raise serious questions about the proportionality and conduct of Marbella’s law enforcement. What was once a tolerated cat-and-mouse game between sellers and police appears to be escalating into a broader issue of public safety and civil rights.
Calls for oversight grow
With no official response as yet from either the local council or law enforcement authorities, residents and visitors alike are demanding transparency. The arrest of a Spanish citizen for merely attempting to stop violence, and the subsequent intimidation of a witness, has fuelled concerns over unchecked power on Marbella’s tourist beaches.
In a town that markets itself as a luxury escape, scenes of brutality and fear should never be part of the holiday experience.
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