MADRID (AP) – Riots erupted in many Spanish cities this week during a protest rally over the imprisonment of a little-known rapper for insulting the Spanish monarchy and praising terrorism.
But the issue has now become a hot potato for the country’s coalition government, with the left-wing junior partner demanding that the rapper be pardoned – while criticizing police for alleged brutality.
WHO IS PABLO HAZEL?
Until a few weeks ago, Hasél (32) was not quite a well-known name in Spain. He is a rapper with a sour tongue and anti-establishment and is considered by some to be a poet and by others a punk.
He was a proponent of the secession of Catalonia from Spain, and he had several laws with the law, which earned him more than one sentence, although he still had to be imprisoned. In addition to his tweets and lyrics, he is also charged with assault, obstruction of justice and breach and access.
But he recently insulted again with a song and tweets insulting former King Juan Carlos I and praising terrorist groups, urging the authorities to arrest him and put him in jail in his hometown of Lleida in northeastern Catalonia. , to serve a nine-month sentence.
RADICAL LYRICS
Hazel has confused many feathers and irritated authorities over the past decade. In insults to the monarchy, he described the former king as “a mafia gangster looting the Spanish kingdom”.
In tweets, he referred to a deceased member of the late armed Basque terrorist group ETA that he had been ‘exterminated by the torture state’. In other compositions he praised other terrorist groups and advocated bombings on Spanish state television and Basque socialist politician Patxi López.
While some saw it as the exercise of his right to freedom of expression, the law held otherwise.
THE PROSTHESIS
Hazel warned that he would not voluntarily surrender to serve his term. He stabbed supporters at a Lleida University for 24 hours last Monday before being led away by police – without a mask and furiously shouting out slogans for supporters.
Protests, initially peaceful, erupted in several Catalan cities, including Barcelona. Protesters with hoods started throwing objects at police and setting fire to rubbish bins to erect street barriers. Police responded with foam bullets and batons. One young woman lost an eye.
On Tuesday, the protests spread across the country with serious unrest in Madrid. Wednesday’s protest action was less and less, but again violent.
AN UNPOPULAR LAW
The Public Safety Act is under fire, drafted by a former Conservative government, which many say is designed to curb protests against the government and protect the police.
The law was used against other rappers and tweeters – even puppet players. Hasél’s case has sparked criticism from Amnesty International and prompted a petition from around 200 cultural figures, including film director Pedro Almodóvar and actor Javier Bardem.
The coalition government, noticing the increasing pressure, has promised to amend the criminal law to eliminate imprisonment for violations of freedom of speech.
NO IMMEDIATE END IN VIEW
With the call for more protests, the Spanish government and police forces are tasked with calming the situation on the streets and facilitating the political debate.
The socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, defended the police and escalated the violence, but he must contain the split with his left-wing coalition partner. United We Can’s avoidance of condemning the violence in public fueled opposition calls for the expulsion of its leader from government, which could overthrow the coalition and lead to new national elections.