In several cities in the Spanish region of Catalonia, thousands of protesters took to the streets last night and last night, after the police a famous rapper had been arrested. Riots broke out. At least thirty people were injured and fifteen people were arrested.
Rapper Pablo Hasél has been sentenced to nine months in prison for lese majesty and glorification of terrorism in his lyrics and tweets. He was in Lleída University in an attempt to avoid imprisonment. Supporters chained themselves around him, but could not avoid his arrest.
Freedom of speech
In Barcelona, Lleída, Girona and Tarragona, thousands of people then took to the streets. There were about 1,700 people in Barcelona and 5,000 in Lleída. In the center of Barcelona, trash cans and motorcycles were set on fire and barricades were erected against the police. Bottles and stones were also thrown at the police. Similar incidents took place in Girona and Lleída. Demonstrations took place on a small scale in Valencia and Palma de Mallorca.
The Hasél case has sparked a discussion about freedom of expression in Spain. Critics believe that artistic freedom is too strongly limited by existing laws. Government parties are also unhappy with the current law on lese majesty. The Social Democratic ruling party PSOE wants the law to be revised. The left-wing coalition partner Podemos wants the entire law to be scrapped.
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