Imagine the following situation: a group of people who spend holidays in different neighborhoods of Donostia await a bus chartered by the city council. The aim is to receive a course to safely bring a bull of fire that cannot be missed at parties (according to a law from the European Union).

They enter the bus and take them to Vitoria. In particular, it remains in front of the Arkaute fence and after the authorization of the access operator, the police enter the academy. It includes the intervention of the worker of a pyrotechnic company: characteristics of the materials used in the fire bull, basic safety measures, see some video of a catastrophic situation…

Although it may seem that things don't change in the eyes of those of us who live, society is constantly changing. For many years the changes are often small, so it often seems impossible to change the status quo of the moment. On other occasions, however, these small changes that have been occurring silently address more relevant facts and opens a scenario to give qualitative leaps in social relations.

We could say that this process occurs in society as a whole or in various aspects, and can basically occur in two directions: it can serve to increase the power of the dominant social class at a given time or to create cracks in its hegemony.

That is why I come to propose a change: in the popular song, instead of saying “Donostiako zezen suzko, izan zaitez zorionekoa”, let us put the phrase I have chosen for this article, “Donostiako zezen suzko, izan zaitez ertzaina”. It may not be so harmonic or so elegant, and it seems a little clever, but seeing the changes taking place around the police in recent years, it may not be so absurd.

Because what is the purpose of the fire bull management course at the police academy?

I believe that these and other dynamics have a main objective: to whiten the image of the police and to deepen the normalization of this repressive mechanism. I do not want to go into more detail, but I would like to mention some loose examples of recent times acting in the same direction:

• P.E.P. of the last firefighters of Araba and Gipuzkoa direct organization of police academies by joint opposition.
• Conduct joint oppositions of munizipals and ertzainas (trying to better reverse the image of society on the former).
• Authorize the entry of the Police into the University (for the umpteenth time).
• Include in the request for pre-enrolment of Primary Education in the CAPV, together with other professions of “Security Forces and Bodies” to determine the profession of parents, in the category of “Media Technicians and Professionals” (along with delinquents, scientific and health technicians, athletes, ICT trainers, etc.) (!!)
• The continuous laundering of Masa media in the image of the Police (either through news or the space given to them in television contests).

In this situation, it would be worth remembering the social function of the police. Although many have repeated more clearly and concisely than I do, quickly and superficially, the role of the police is to ensure that the social relations of the moment remain in place. And that status quo includes the whole pack, either punishing a traffic violation, disciplining striking workers… Let’s not forget that social function or let’s stop it.

Returning to the popular song, to conclude, we could think that it hides a euphemism and that until now we have not realized…

"They're bulls.

They're black.

if it catches you,

if it catches you,

knock

will kill you.

Donostian fire bull

be …"

Aratz Soto