PROTESTERS in Spain will now face ‘severe’ punishment following a new anti-protest law. 

The government passed the legislation – dubbed the ‘Gag Law’ – yesterday despite opposition from activists and human right organizations.

The law prohibits people from recording or taking pictures of police at demonstrations.

It also identifies demonstrations outside the Senate, parliament or other public service buildings as illegal.

A poll released  on Wednesday revealed 82% of the Spanish people disagree with the legislation.

As a result, police can now legally break-up peaceful demonstrations, and arrest citizens that resist.

The law also introduces new fines which can reach up to €30,000 if a demonstration is considered to be illegal.

 

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33 COMMENTS

  1. “The adoption of the draft Basic Law for the Protection of Public Security is contrary to the international commitments undertaken by Spain, in particular the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951; articles 12.1, 18 and 19 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and article 4 of Protocol No 4; article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights; and the recommendations of the European Court of Human Rights and other international human rights bodies. The Council of Europe High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Nils Muiznieks, has also emphasized the threat that the law poses for the exercise of the right of peaceful assembly and has called for the prior authorization requirement, the classification of demonstrations around Congress or the regional assemblies as grave offences and the prohibition on recording images of law enforcement personnel in the exercise of their duties to be removed from the final version. The Commissioner also noted that the proposal to legalise automatic and collective expulsions of migrants is “unjust and illegal” under international law.”

    OMCT – World Organisation Against Torture 2014

  2. There is little doubt that this anti democratic law must be resisted at all cost. Spain’s fascistic past is echoing down to the present, and this means that conflict is inevitable. No wonder Spain is crawling with police. They are absolutely everywhere in numbers. How will the EU deal with this development? If it does not act to prevent the Spanish government from suppressing democratic rights then the EU will be colluding. This is a dangerous development.

  3. I am sure that the the law for the protection of the public security is stronger harder in your complaining countries

    Is Cameron not complaining about poles and bulgarians flooding into britain , knowing that they have this right under the laws of the UE? isn,t that cheeky?
    these citizen have preference over all thes jamaican and bangladeshi that reside in Britain , but Cameron doesnt complain about then
    if you want to kick someone out, start with these first

  4. just pay a visit to the valley of the fallen and tell if you have in britain a maonument as big as this . big beng or small beng because in comparison with the holy cross of the valley , it is a dwarfisf monument and the longest basilica in europe is under that cross , noe put that in your pipe and smoke it and please relax dont do it

  5. Podemos sound too good to be true – let’s hope they can rise!

    LUISMI – to live permanently elsewhere, you have to accept countries’ cultures, attitudes and ways of life, but as with everyone else, never any injustice!

  6. as for ultra right political parties, I think that there is one garnering a lot of support in Britain , that is why the prime minister, whosis , wants to crack down on immigration. something new in british experience , but In 3 years time , once you are out of the bloody EU , you will breathe in peace

    that prime minister of yours is further to the right than the PP in Spain, but the hunchback never ses his hump but his neighbor,s

  7. ys what is good for Spain is bad for you , you want someon like podemos o podamos to wreck th whole country with their nightmarish proposals

    I think you suffered a little at last when atletico madrid play real madrid in the final this year as a way of example.
    I am going to give some bad news , the number of spanish speaking people in the USA is reaching 70 million

  8. I am sick of forigners like those brtish historians sticking theirm noses in to our recent history recommending what we should do

    and ifyou hate this country , what decided you to come overto spain

    just try to see your hump

  9. valley of the fallen was built in honor of the victims on both sides , not just to one person, it is basilica and a necropolis blessed by the pope in 1962, there is a decree under date of april 1940 to prove it

    anyway you have no say in this matter, and I dont claim to be a foreigner,

  10. Whoever you are luismi, you are a very rude and unpleasant individual. You represent no one but yourself, and my experience of Spaniards, assuming you are Spanish…but then maybe you are not, is that they are infinitely more politie, eloquent and well mannered than you. Your contributions to this blog are not only empty of meaning but are little more than racism.

  11. well in 3 years time when the uk is already out of the EU, by virtue of a blessed plebiscite or referendum , you NIE,s, foreigner identification number will be no longer valid, then , you should start putting a price on your real property , IF ANY, now and by that time you will be able to pull up stakes and waltz Matilda in peace

  12. and I repeat under this law , every slander, calumny or difamation can be punishable by law , so I strongly recommend you to be careful , posting messages here if they contain the aforementioned . In several cases , they have contained sneering remarks about the guardia civil and suchlikes

    and dear JANE ,, own up, admit it , you dont like it here , but you still stay because you have to, for reasons best known to yourself, I suppose that you have not fallen into any trap, have you?

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