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Brit female expats being intimidated by Spanish police
| Published: | 1 Jun at 6 PM |
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Two British female expats are taking on Spanish police for their overreaction and intimidations.
The British pair are demanding action regarding the rough treatment and extortionate fines they received whilst breaking lockdown. Natalie Kern, formerly living in London, was fined a massive €1,000 for the heinous crime of ‘walking too slowly’ on her way back from a visit to her bank in Estepona. As she told local media, she was also questioned as to why she didn’t own a car, and shouted at by local police.
According to a popular local English language media outlet, she’d shown her bank receipt to the officers, but it was the deliberate intimidation which bothered her. Police confiscated her handbag and examined its contents, questioning its owner about various items. Unsurprisingly, she felt humiliated and frightened at the officers’ attitudes, especially when she explained she was walking as she didn’t own a car and couldn’t drive.
In a second incident, a supporter of the local newspaper was stopped whilst walking her dog in green countryside close by her home as she’d chatted briefly to a friend. Officers frog-marched her back to her home and fined her €600 for forgetting to wear her mask. She told reporters she and the woman she had been chatting with had kept a five metre distance from each other, but the officers took her back home and fined her. The officers, she said, were not wearing gloves or masks.
Another incident involved an expat who’d borrowed his friend’s car and had just arrived at his home. A police car stopped and told him he was prohibited from driving any car not belonging to him and wouldn’t be allowed to leave his home in it. According to local officials and mayors in the districts, both women have been advised to appeal their fines, with one mayor adding that powers given to police are affecting each officer in different ways.
It seems this poor, possibly prejudiced police behaviour isn’t confined to Estepona, as a recently opened Facebook page is now reporting numbers of female expats are receiving the same treatment from local officers.
The British pair are demanding action regarding the rough treatment and extortionate fines they received whilst breaking lockdown. Natalie Kern, formerly living in London, was fined a massive €1,000 for the heinous crime of ‘walking too slowly’ on her way back from a visit to her bank in Estepona. As she told local media, she was also questioned as to why she didn’t own a car, and shouted at by local police.
According to a popular local English language media outlet, she’d shown her bank receipt to the officers, but it was the deliberate intimidation which bothered her. Police confiscated her handbag and examined its contents, questioning its owner about various items. Unsurprisingly, she felt humiliated and frightened at the officers’ attitudes, especially when she explained she was walking as she didn’t own a car and couldn’t drive.
In a second incident, a supporter of the local newspaper was stopped whilst walking her dog in green countryside close by her home as she’d chatted briefly to a friend. Officers frog-marched her back to her home and fined her €600 for forgetting to wear her mask. She told reporters she and the woman she had been chatting with had kept a five metre distance from each other, but the officers took her back home and fined her. The officers, she said, were not wearing gloves or masks.
Another incident involved an expat who’d borrowed his friend’s car and had just arrived at his home. A police car stopped and told him he was prohibited from driving any car not belonging to him and wouldn’t be allowed to leave his home in it. According to local officials and mayors in the districts, both women have been advised to appeal their fines, with one mayor adding that powers given to police are affecting each officer in different ways.
It seems this poor, possibly prejudiced police behaviour isn’t confined to Estepona, as a recently opened Facebook page is now reporting numbers of female expats are receiving the same treatment from local officers.
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