Spain Jails Rappers For Insulting Royal Family, Glorifying Terror

In a case that has sparked a debate about the freedom of speech in Spain, the high court in Madrid sentenced rapper Pablo Hasel, from Catalonia to a 2-year jail term for ‘glorifying terror and insulting the royal family’. Mr. Hasel is not the first rapper to be sentenced for doing so. A week earlier, rapper Valtonyc was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail sentence for, just as Mr. Hasel, glorifying terrorism, insulting the Spanish royals and threatening politicians in his lyrics.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Catalan rapper Pablo Hasel sentences to two years in prison for lyrics and other statements glorifying terrorism, aggravated recidivism, insults and slander against the Spanish monarchy and state institutions.<a href="https://t.co/puky2BEZeA">https://t.co/puky2BEZeA</a></p>&mdash; teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) <a href="https://twitter.com/telesurenglish/status/969727806572716032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2018</a></blockquote>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The cases are widely discussed on social media platforms in Spain (and South America) where many say that the government in Madrid has gone back to the days of Franco (the far-right leader that ruled Spain in the 20th century with an iron fist).

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">Por esta canción y otras iré preso 5 años con todo sumado. Si hubiera dicho que catalanes, inmigrantes, antifascistas u homosexuales, merecen bombas, estaría protegido por los jueces fascistas que me han condenado. <a href="https://t.co/ObZrQrg8Un">https://t.co/ObZrQrg8Un</a></p>&mdash; Pablo Hasel (@PabloHasel) <a href="https://twitter.com/PabloHasel/status/969565063127367683?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2018</a></blockquote>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Mr. Hasel, 29-years-old, reacted angrily to the verdict, saying: "If I had said that Catalonians, immigrants, homosexuals, anti-fascists and homosexuals deserve to be bombed, I would have been protected by the fascist judges who convicted me."

There was a demonstration outside the courthouse, where supporters of Mr. Hasel held up a banner, stating: “Without freedom of speech there is no democracy.”

Other Spanish rappers have chimed in, saying that this ruling indeed means the death of freedom of speech in Spain.

Rapper ToteKing: "There are no words left to describe the disgust we feel about the Spanish system."

Rapper Toni el Sucio: "Another week of democracy and freedom in Spain."

Source:

https://www.ara.cat/cultura/Pablo-Hasel-condemnat-dos-preso_0_1970803078.html