This article was translated by John R. Bopp
In an article in the Italian daily Il Mattino, their Spanish correspondent Paola del Vecchio explains to her readers what things are like with public freedoms after the Law of Citizen Safety, or “Gag Law”, passed by the government of this kingdom during the previous legislature when the People’s Party had absolute majority.
If one were to read the examples discussed by this journalist in a text that didn’t state where these things were happening, we’d have no doubt that our readers would think they were happening in a country behind the Iron Curtain in the 1970s, or in one of those “formal democracies” that we can find all over the world.
Nothing would make us think that this law is being applied in the heart of the European Union, created by a part that is part of the European People’s Party. This is, without a doubt, because we tend to forget the roots of the Spanish People’s Party. If someone wants to see a summary of how this law affects the rights of the citizens?/subjects of this Kingdom we get to live in, we recommend reading the magnificent summary written by Raquel Ejerique on eldiario.es, which we’ve included after the Italian newspaper link.
Paola del Vecchio covers many situations, but also pays close attention to the fine that was placed on Basque magazine Argia for publishing, on their Twitter page, photos of a police operation that took place in the street in broad daylight. The first fine, €601, was placed on an informant, and the news about it got around so much that the government of the Kingdom of Spain ended up withdrawing the fine.
When in a society citizens’ basic rights are subjected to the arbitrary decisions of civil servants, and citizens have to defend their rights and prove their innocence, that society is not living in a democracy, and that’s just what the Italians reminded us of.
Il Mattino – 11/3/207 – Italia
Spagna: un ‘me gusta’ in Facebook può costare multa da 600 euro
Madrid. La chiamano Ley mordaza, perché ha imposto il bavaglio, il morso da cavallo alla democrazia in Spagna. E’ la tristemente nota la ‘legge di sicurezza cittadina’, che erode libertà costituzionali, da quella di espressione a quella di manifestazione o di semplice riunione. Uno degli esempi più eloquenti è il caso di una donna di Alicante che pubblicò sul suo muro di Facebook la foto di un’auto dei vigili urbani parcheggiata in un posto riservato ai disabili: ha dovuto pagare una multa da 800 euro, su denuncia dello stesso vigile che aveva commesso l’infrazione, senza che l’evidente conflitto di interessi fosse di ostacolo al processo amministrativo.
(Continue) (Automatic Translation)
Los siete derechos fundamentales que limita la ‘Ley Mordaza’ (eldiario.es)
(Automatic Translation)
Last Updated on Dec 20, 2020 by About Basque Country
