- On the rise of the San Sebastian flag, not everything was party. As seen in EITB images, there was a moment of tension when José Ramón Mendizabal, Tambor Mayor de Mendi Gaztelubide, attacked a photographer. Jon Xabier Zabala, collaborator of IRUTXULOKO HITZA, continued the event.
He says the tension started at 23:55, “just minutes before the flag began.” There were about twelve photographers and three video cameras. The photographers were placed between managers and the public, and they stayed until the entrance of drums and barrels.
When the Kresala dancers came in, there was no room for the photographers and they started to send them screaming. The photographers stood between the txaranga and the directors, and when they were there, the Drum Major yelled again: “Remove from here,” “it’s always the same,” “enough,” “kicked,” etc. The tension increased, in image, when Mendi began to “threaten” the photographers with his stick in his hands, shouting “out of here!”
At the time, one of the photographers responded by asking him to allow him to work, and there was the attack. He got off the stage, went straight to the photographer and tried to play with his elbow. The photographer regressed and did not receive the coup, but there was a dispute. Then the people of the area went to calm down the mountain, the director of the vats and their surroundings, and managed to separate themselves from the photographers.
In the midst of this group of people and tension, Mendi started to step back, without seeing the edge of the small haze and falling back. Kresala's dancers and the rest of the attendees helped him get up and, somehow calmed the tension, managed to make the normal ascension of the flag. Everything happened very quickly, “it was a couple of 30-second tensions,” according to Zabala.
Those present acknowledge that there are similar tensions between photographers and drums every year, but this year’s one has never happened. It seems that this year there have been more people on the table than usual, which has increased tension.
Nobody has made any statement about it, but it has been flying on social media. In fact, the direct connection performed by EITB shows the time of the conflict, but within seconds the signal was cut. Mendizabal is an important character of the day of San Sebastian, as he is the Drum Mayor of the Gaztelubide Society since 2010.