Valencia mayor receives bullet in post

POLICE are looking into a suspicious package sent to the mayor of Valencia on Friday November 9.

Mayor Rita Barberá was sent an envelope containing a live round, said the local council. The 9mm parabellum bullet – commonly used by the Spanish terrorist organisation ETA  – was delivered to the council in a sealed brown envelope personally addressed to “Rita Barberá. Valencia Mayor” on Friday (December 9).

It was stamped on Thursday (December 8) and also contained a handwritten message that read “From the Radio Clara staff.” Radio Klara is a well-known, Valencia-based anarchist radio station, though the name was misspelled in the message, which also included the words “freedom and anarchy.”

During a press conference held in the morning, the mayor would not reveal the name of the radio station mentioned in the handwritten note. However, the name was later reported by the media.

The police launched an official investigation to determine the origin of what can only be interpreted as a threat. “And then some people tell me we do not need security measures,” said Mayor Barberá who condemned “the special gift” she got, as she put it.

Radio Klara disputed having anything to do with the suspicious package and said whoever had sent it to the mayor wanted to blame it on them. The radio station said this incident was related to threats they had received, which had been specifically aimed at one of their staff members, and said they were the victims of an attack against freedom of speech.

“Someone is impersonating Radio Klara and wants to blame us for something we have absolutely nothing to do with,” they said.