by “Agents follow a pattern to choose their victimswho are ideologically positioned women of a certain age group. Daniel HP He had sexual relations with at least eight women from different groups and self-managed spaces in Barcelona. The victims filed a collective complaint for an alleged crime of sexual abuse continued when considering that they have been used by the Police to enter different social movements in Barcelona. The infiltrated agents Can they sleep with third parties in the context of their work? Current legislation still does not provide an answer to this question.
The press has uncovered up to eight cases of police infiltrating social movements of Madrid and Barcelona During the last years. The affected groups suspect that the real figure is even higher, but the Ministry of Interior has refused to make public the total list of agents who perform these functions. Police officers often use sexual relationships to gain the trust of activists and sneak into associations without raising suspicions.
Daniel HP began collaborating with the social center The Cinètika of Barcelona to obtain information on the collective’s actions. The agent had sexual relations with up to eight different women to gain validation for him within the movement. “We understand that a judicial investigation must be opened because the facts may constitute a crime of continued sexual abuse –due to lack of consent–, as well as a crime against moral integrity and a crime of discrimination based on gender,” says Mireira Salazar, lawyer for Iridia and responsible for the case. The association has been accompanying the eight complainants for a year, although it knows that the number of victims is even higher.
“Agents instrumentalize people to obtain information. Sexual relationships have a clear objective and women are a gateway to achieving it. In this way, police officers get the validation they need. It is true that there are also male victims, but Women have it more difficult because they are constantly questioned in the public sphere,” the lawyer continues. The eight women assure that they would never have had relations with the accused if they had known that he worked as undercover police.
“The State does not respect fundamental rights, a dirty war has started”
Mavi LF He joined environmental organizations such as Extinction Rebellion between 2022 and 2023. Víctor de Santos, member of the collective, remembers in a conversation with Public how the person behaved undercover police. “He was in several meetings at my house, the interference reached the point of sharing private spaces. He had no scruples and never stepped on the brakes either.. She slept with me to go unnoticed. It is very strong that the National Police, with our money and our taxes, does this type of thing,” criticizes the activist. Víctor found out from the press that he had had sexual relations with an undercover agentbut did not file any complaint.
He Madrid Anti-repressive Movement He has also suffered on several occasions the consequences of having a police officer infiltrate his militancy. Sergio GA He first joined the anti-fascist collective Distrito 14, where he began a relationship with a colleague. “They have been a couple for four years and they have lived together practically from the beginning. She had all the information at home. She left him before the case was uncovered.“says Marco, a member of the platform. The agent ended up collaborating with the Madrid Anti-repressive Movement following the breakup, because it had lost its main source of content.
“The companion was devastatedbut not only her, also the people with whom she [Sergio G.A.] He had established a strong friendship. These are the things we expose ourselves to when we go out to defend our rights. The Police have no shame, they can get into your bed to chase you for standing up to them. The State does not respect fundamental rights, a dirty war has started against us. The truth is that it seems like a tremendous lack of ethics to me,” the activist continues. The group became suspicious months before the news broke and tried to surround the undercover police.
Óscar also publicly denounced that the woman with whom he had lived “under the same roof“For two years she was actually an infiltrated agent of the National Police. The militant believed he had a romantic relationship with a certain María, although her identity was never real.”He entered my life and that of my sister, my mother, my father and my friends.. “She took advantage of our humanity to turn it into our threat,” the victim declared to the press when the case was uncovered.
Where is the crime?
Current legislation does not explicitly allow the infiltration of agents into social movements, but it does not prevent it either. The Criminal Procedure Law It is the only one that does not close the door to covert investigations. The text considers that there must be a ongoing research to introduce personnel into any group, although the rules are not always followed. The General Information Commissioner –the organization on which they depend– operates based on the Official Secrets Law. The Police take refuge in administrative regulations that are under state secret so as not to have to give explanations,” says Alejandro Gámez, lawyer at Red Jurídica.
“He took advantage of our humanity to turn it into our threat”
“It is not the same as having a sexual relationship with a person who tells you that he is a fishmonger and then you discover that he is a plumber. It is not the same, because we are talking about an agent of the State. The decision responds to a mandate, we are talking about intelligence services personnel. The police work to obtain information, everything is part of an operation that is based on have sexual relations with the people from whom you want to extract data“says Mireia Salazar. Experts consider that it is one thing to omit your profession when establishing relationships in your free time and quite another to do so when you are working for the State.
The Criminal Procedure Law establishes that police officers can only establish personal relationships within the framework of an operation when they have judicial authorization previous. The sources consulted by Public They recognize that this assumption is practically an anomaly and criticize the modus operandi of the agents. “The victims have had to find out through the media that the People with whom they had had relationships were undercover police officers. The emotional impact is strongbut also the uncertainty, because no one knows what personal data they have been able to access,” warns Irídia’s lawyer. The victims call it “wicked game“These practices and the difficulties in reporting them: “Going to your own police stations to report those who are your colleagues is a bit surreal.”
