As debates over freedom of speech and allegations of “culture cancellation” continue to simmer around the world, the issue emerged as a fierce rallying cry in the streets of Spain last week.
A provocative Spanish rapper became an unlikely figurehead for widespread protests and sparked a debate over freedom of expression in the European country.
The tweets of Pablo Hasél and lyrics came back to haunt him, as the anti-establishment musician was jailed last Tuesday on charges of insulting the Spanish monarchy and glorifying terrorism, sparking night after night of protests in major cities across the country, of which some have become violent.
Hasél – whose full name is Pablo Rivadulla Duró – missed a deadline earlier this month to surrender to police to serve a nine-month prison sentence handed down in 2018, when he was convicted of texts and tweets that Spanish judges compared to Nazis and former King Juan Carlos a mob boss. He was also referring to the Basque separatist paramilitary group, known as ETA, who sought independence from Spain.
Instead, Hasél barricaded himself in a university in the Catalan city of Lleida before eventually being arrested and imprisoned.
“Tomorrow it could be you,” he tweeted before he was incarcerated and after retweeting the lyrics for which he was convicted.
“We cannot let them dictate to us what to say, what to feel and what to do,” he added.
His supporters and those who disapprove of the alleged restrictions on freedom of speech took to the streets of cities, including the capital Madrid; Valencia; and the regional capital of Catalonia, Barcelona, where thousands sang “Freedom for Pablo Hasél” and “No More Police Violence”.
As tensions flared on Saturday, police clashed with members of fringe groups who set up street barricades and destroyed shop windows in central Barcelona.
Pepe Ivorra García, 18, a student in the city who took part in the protests Thursday night, said he came out to peacefully support Hasél and what he called an “attack” on democratic freedoms that are “part of the backbone” of the Spanish Constitution.
“I am neither Catalan nor pro-independence, but I am a Democrat,” García told NBC News. “I humbly consider it a shame and a democratic anomaly that in a European country in the 21st century there are prisoners in prison for their ideas.”
Hasél became an unlikely champion in freedom of speech after his case drew attention to Spain’s 2015 public security law. The law, enacted by a previous conservative-led government, prevents insults against religion, the monarchy and the glorification of banned armed groups. such as ETA.
More than 200 artists, including film director Pedro Almodóvar and actor Javier Bardem, signed an open letter last week in solidarity with Hasél.
Human rights organization Amnesty International Spain also condemned the rapper’s imprisonment as a “disproportionate restriction on his freedom of expression”.
The so-called ‘prop law’ of 2015 has been a ‘step back’ for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in Spain, said Koldo Casla, law lecturer at the University of Essex and former Chief of Staff to the Basque Country Human Rights Commissioner.
“Government agencies were given inordinate leeway to impose administrative fines, with chilling consequences for peaceful demonstrations,” he told NBC News.
Casla said that while Hasél’s songs could be considered “cruel or regrettable,” they were not sufficient grounds for enforcing the criminal code. He added that the furor created by his case should provide an opportunity for lawmakers “to amend the criminal code to ensure that it is compatible with the highest standards of freedom of expression”.
The debate has prompted Spain’s ruling left-wing coalition government to announce that it will seek to reform the 2015 law by introducing more lenient penalties and more tolerance for artistic and cultural forms of expression.
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However, the Spanish protests should cause concern for neighboring countries, Patrick Breyer, a member of the European Parliament, told NBC News. He said Hasél’s case was an attack on “legitimate dissent” and should be “of great concern” for the European Union.
“Spain is going way too far, interpreting and using its anti-terrorism laws, and I’m afraid it will pass,” said Breyer. “I think satire, jokes and art are a very important part of society … and it is counterproductive to deal with these kinds of statements, and the same is true of criticism of the police and the crown – that is extremely important in a democracy. “
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned the violence in the protests.
“Democracy protects freedom of speech, including expressing the most horrible, absurd thoughts, but democracy never, ever protects violence,” he said Friday.
Not all Spaniards support Hasél’s cause.
Rafa Morata, 49, an elementary school teacher, dismissed the rapper as a “ left-wing extremist, ” telling NBC News that his arrest was not about his lyrics or tweets, but because he had “ glorified terrorism. ”
His entry into prison has sparked a debate over the freedom of speech his supporters have used to provoke riots in the streets, Morata said, adding that the law had unwittingly turned Hasél into a victim and a hero.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Matthew Mulligan contributed.