Photos: Sergio Betancort
A true pitched battle was the protagonist of the first dawn of the year in Arrecife on the esplanade in front of the Biosfera nightclub. According to the police report, around 07:00 hours they received a notice that a "large concentration" of people at the doors of the premises, about 1,000 according to the records, could not enter despite having their corresponding ticket and blocked the exit of those who were inside. After the incidents, three people have been arrested and placed at the disposal of the court accused of being "the most instigators of the disturbance of public order."
"The nightclub was full," the police report, and "the spirits were very altered because there were people outside with tickets who could not access because apparently the capacity was full," explain from the Police who went to the place to avoid the problem of public order and the danger of having the exit door of the premises blocked. "The eviction was not allowed because there was a large concentration of people trying to enter from outside," they say.
"The circumstances were very complicated. There were many very upset people," the police explain, and "they started throwing stones and bottles." Faced with the impossibility of dissolving the crowd, the police made "police charges to disperse the people", using riot control material.
The National Police were the first to arrive at the scene, although later the Civil Guard and the Local Police with the Citizen Security unit operating especially for possible disturbances on New Year's Eve also went to the area due to the large concentration of people in front of the doors of the nightclub.
"Pending valuation"
For his part, the owner of the party room, Tomás Alemán, assures that "despite the fact that we had stopped selling tickets around 4:00 am there were too many people who wanted to enter and blocked the two doors and emergency exits."
"There were many people who wanted to leave and could not," declared the owner this morning, who assures that the people outside "were determined to enter and blocked the doors and emergency exits." Also, of the people who were outside and could not enter the room, "there were some who had tickets but the vast majority wanted us to sell them tickets." Something he says could not be because "the capacity was full."
The nightclub, which has a capacity of 1,100 people, sold about 1,200 tickets because, he explains, "we always play with the people who leave earlier, some arrive later."
"The biggest problem was not entering, but since they were determined to enter no matter what, they blocked the doors and there were many people who wanted to go home and could not," says the owner, who assures that he is still "pending valuation", the possible refund of money for those who, despite having bought the ticket, could not enter the nightclub due to the incidents. And, he alleges, "the room was open for six hours so there was enough time to enter beforehand," says Alemán.
This is the video of what happened outside the nightclub recorded by a citizen and sent to La Voz de Lanzarote
