Prosecutors say the brawl should be punished under the country’s terrorism laws, as crimes of terrorist intent. They claim the attackers were members of Basque activism groups and that targeted the off-duty officers as part of their campaign to oust Spanish security forces from Basque areas. Supporters say the charges are disproportionate for what they consider that was a simple bar brawl. They also complain that three of the defendants have been kept in pre-trial custody for nearly 18 months. “It would be a real judicial aberration to uphold the charges,” defence lawyer Manuel Olle said Monday.

Source: National Post April 16, 2018 09:28 UTC