Thousands took to the streets of Madrid Tuesday evening in protest against the Citizen Safety law which was due to come into effect the following morning.
The new and repressive Spanish public security law will make it harder for the public to demonstrate and has been nicknamed the ‘gag law’. The new legislation also puts restrictions on journalists reporting on police.
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Yahoo News reports:
Nicknamed the “gag law” by its detractors, it comes into force on Wednesday, after being denounced by a number of NGOs, lawyers’ associations and journalists.
The law provides for fines of up to 600,000 euros ($670,000) for some non-authorised protests.
It stipulates fines of up to 30,000 euros for public disorder offences. Those barring efforts to evict insolvent families from their homes could also face the same penalty.
A “lack of respect” for a police officer could be punished with a fine of 600 euros.
“They want all of us to be silent, for no one to protest,” said Juan Sánchez, a 21-year-old student, draped in a republican flag from before the civil war, a traditional symbol of the Spanish left.
“With the ‘gag law’ brought into force, the practice of journalism will be less free,” said the Madrid Press Association in a statement.
