PP cancels Gipuzkoa campaign route after objects thrown at Jon Echeverría in Hernani

The incident in Hernani

On Saturday, 14 November, a group gathered in the old town of Hernani, in Gipuzkoa, as Jon Echeverría, the Partido Popular (PP) head of list in the province for the 29 November general election, was starting a campaign route. Europa Press, citing the Basque Security Department, put the incident at about 11:30, while El Mundo cited around 11:00 at the Plaza de los Tilos. The group shouted at party members who were setting up an information table and threw eggs, firecrackers and rockets at them. El Mundo counted about 200 people, some wearing hoods, and also reported that stones were thrown. La Razón described dozens of people hurling stones at the candidate, who later posted a video of the scene on social media.

Police response and the candidate's account

Ertzaintza officers at the scene escorted the PP members away, and Europa Press reported that no one was injured and no arrests had been made so far. An investigation was opened to establish what happened. The police union Si.P.E. denounced what it called a very serious episode of violence and political intimidation, in which a group of 200 people forced an information event to be halted. ABC, citing the union, reported that Echeverría was evacuated in an unmarked Ertzaintza vehicle. On X, Echeverría wrote that a horde of pro-ETA sympathisers had attacked the party, and he demanded that the Ertzaintza guarantee the security of its candidates.

PP cancels its Gipuzkoa route

Later on Saturday the Basque PP announced that it was cancelling its campaign route in Gipuzkoa. In a statement the party said:

“The democratic conditions are not sufficient to run a campaign presenting the Partido Popular's project.”

The party said the behaviour of the group had aimed to coerce and intimidate the candidates. It also said the Ertzaintza had shown it was unable to guarantee the security of campaign activities. The PP added that it would keep holding events only in places where it judged that minimum security conditions existed.

Feijóo's reaction and the 29 November vote

Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the PP leader and candidate for the Presidency of the Government, shared Echeverría's post on X and asked what this was about. He wrote:

“They are in for a surprise if they think they scare us. Not one step back.”

Feijóo said the PP would keep campaigning head-on and would win on 29 November, predicting a seat in Gipuzkoa. The party has not won a seat in the province since the November 2011 general election. He also recalled that two young members of Nuevas Generaciones had been attacked days earlier in Barakaldo. La Razón reported that the two were hospitalised after an attack at the party's Barakaldo headquarters on Wednesday, 11 November, during a general strike.

Wider campaign context

La Razón described Echeverría as the only threat to Bildu winning a third seat in the Gipuzkoa constituency, and it reported that polls do not rule out a PP seat there. The same outlet noted that altercations have recurred since the vote was called, including clashes outside rallies. No arrests had been reported in the Hernani case at the time of the reports, and the investigation into Saturday's incident remained open.