A VALENCIA Vox party councillor could be jailed for up to three years if convicted of posting hate messages via social media.
Prosecutors have demanded the sentence during their probe into Valencia City councillor, Cecilia Herrero.
A fine of over €7,000 is also proposed as well as a ban from holding public office and working for a public body.
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They claim she repeatedly published offensive comments against migrants, LGTBI and disabled people via the X social network between 2020 and 2024.
Herrero allegedly had social media accounts with thousands of followers, which prosecutors say she used to disseminate ‘massive and indiscriminate’ messages aimed at stigmatising migrants- especially those of North African or Muslim backgrounds.
She also attacked members of the LGTBI collective, racialised people and people with disabilities.
The Prosecutor’s Office said her postings generally linked migration with crime, talked about the ‘invasion of territory’ and the deterioration of public services.
They stated she repeatedly linked the national origin, skin colour or religion of certain people to criminal behaviour, using expressions of mockery and contempt and sometimes resorting to a ‘manipulating’ a selection of news items to generate social alarm.
Derogatory terms were used towards migrants, their expulsion from Spain was called for and the identity of unaccompanied foreign minors was questioned
It said her postings were specifically aimed at Valencia residents- all taking place in the context of her being a councillor.
A complaint was filed by the regional far left Compromis party in April 2024, who were then joined by the PSPV socialists.
That was prompted by Herrero’s suggestion that a black candidate for the European Parliament elections ‘should go back to his own country’.
Municipal socialist spokesperson, Borja Sanjaun, said: “We cannot have a councillor with government powers to whom the Prosecutor’s Office asks for three years in prison for her racist and homophobic messages.”
Sanjuan described it as ‘shameful’ that Herrero is still in the executive.
“The residents of this city deserve not to have councillors who are now accused by the Prosecutor’s Office for their absolutely anti-democratic behaviour and there is no room for a racist and a homophobe in the Valencia government,” he added.
There has been no response from the mayor or from Herrero.
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