Illegal Ibiza Rave Turns Violent, Raising Questions of Organizer Motives

Spain Police Arrest Party-Goers at Illegal Ibiza Rave

On Sunday, August 25th, police raided an illegal rave being held in a protected woodland area according to The Sun UK. The rave, which at one point was attended by over 1000 people, was not raided until numbers had dwindled to around 200. However, it is obvious that these last party-goers were the most determined to continue, and they tried to fight back against the over 40 arresting police officers. Party-goers made use of rocks and iron bars found somewhere in the area, which is located close to Cala Conta, a beach popular with tourists in Ibiza.

It’s unclear what exactly the incident was triggered the violence, or if the violence just slowly escalated. However, what is clear is that over 73 arrests were made, due to the high resistance that officers faced at the scene. Although officers allegedly came forward and intitially instructed the ravers to clear off, they refused to do so, and then apparently turned particularly violent. According to chief of the Civil Guard, Enrique Gomez,

“When officers arrived to tell them they had to leave and stop the music because it was an illegal party in a protected area, they refused to do so, provoking police and even assaulting them and injuring several.”

Police Got Injured by Party-Goers

Injuries described by officers and officials are reportedly not too serious, but some officers did end up going to the hospital. Whether this was a necessary step or just a move made for some sort of publicity, the number of arrests made seems to be incredibly high for an incident of this level. While officers have complained of injury, it seems that the only major injuries occurred in the cases of a Spanish woman and Italian man, who both went to the hospital with broken bones.

No one is quite sure who organized the rave, nor who most of the attendees were. Reports say that some vehicles were found with foreign plates, but nowhere near enough of them were foreign to blame any outside nationalities on making up most of the crowd. However, the crowd was apparently partying for many hours at the scene, with many fully dressed in rave gear. Rave clothing women wore at the event ranged in style and color, but none of it was suited to the conditions of Ibiza jails.

Little is known regarding the state of the environment that the ravers left the place in, but it’s obvious why the rave was broken up. A rave being held in a protected woodland could have many negative effects on the environment, considering the presence of plastic rave items like glow sticks, fans, beer cans, plastic bags, bottles and much more. Spain currently faces many environmental issues, so it’s good to see police taking action against any potential pollution or damage to the environment.

In initial reports of the Ibiza incident, there was some concern regarding the likelihood of migrant involvement, which shows a growing concern among authority figures regarding the possible criminality of migrants in Spain. Many authorities are worried about the safety of migrant youths, who without assistance or attention paid to them are at much risk of being initiated into criminal gangs and organizations.

Illegal Rave in Ibiza-Spain Maybe  Tied To Drug Dealers

Criminal activity can often lead to the formation of even more of these illegal raves, which are ideal atmospheres for anyone looking to push the sale of illicit drugs. Raves are oftentimes reliant on the presence of drugs, mainly psychedelic ones like LSD, ketamine, and shrooms and stimulants like cocaine, adderall, and MDMA. Criminals naturally flock to raves for the opportunity to push pills. As of now, there is no evidence that any drug sales went on at this particular rave, but the likelihood of usage is so high that it’d be ridiculous to assume everyone was sober.

As of now, since there is no knowledge about who organized this illegal rave, it’s unclear whether more illegal raves of this type will happen. It’s unusual for illegal raves to turn violent, and most people attending raves are much more compliant when authorities are called to the scene, albeit many do run. No matter the rave, though, it is unusual that rave members will actively fight arresting officers, so this is certainly a strange occurrence.

Whether more raves of this sort will occur is currently unknown, but it’s pretty likely, considering the number of annual visitors to Ibiza who want to fully commemorate the experience by going to a rave of some sort. It’s hard to stop the amount of raves here, but hopefully future ones will remain peaceful.

View a video of the event being shut down on Diario De Ibiza- see here.