Spain Government Goes Full Police State; Enacts Law Forbidding Dissent

Looks like Spain is preparing for their default as well.

www.techdirt.com... law-enforcement.shtml

Spain Government Goes Full Police State; Enacts Law Forbidding Dissent, 'Unauthorized' Photography Of Law Enforcement

from the shut-up-citizen-or-we'll-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is dept

Well, Spain's officially a police state now. On July 1st, its much-protested "gag" law went into effect, instantly making criminals of those protesting the new law. Among the many new repressive stipulations is a €30,000-€600,000 fine for "unauthorized protests," which can be combined for maximum effect with a €600-€300,000 fine for "disrupting public events."

This horrible set of statutes has arisen from Spain's position as a flashpoint for anti-austerity protests, the European precursor to the Occupy Wall Street movement. Fines, fines and more fines await anyone who refuses to treat authority with the respect it's forcibly requiring citizens to show it.

The law also extends its anti-protest punishments to social media, where users can face similar fines for doing nothing more than encouraging or organizing a protest. Failing to present ID when commanded is another fine. And then there's this:

Showing a "lack of respect" to those in uniform or failing to assist security forces in the prevention of public disturbances could result in an individual fine of between €600 and €30,000.

Spain's legislators thought of everything. To ensure these crackdowns on protests go off with a minimum of public backlash, "respected" police officers are being given a blank check to use as much force as they feel necessary when breaking up "unauthorized protests." The law doesn't directly instruct police to behave badly, but it does provide a very helpful increase in opacity.

A clause in the wide-ranging legislation that critics have dubbed the "gag law" provides for fines of up to 30,000 euros ($33,000) for "unauthorized use" of images of working police that could identify them, endanger their security or hinder them from doing their jobs.

Somehow, the Spanish government has managed to find an expectation of privacy within its public spaces and applied it to its public servants. While the law does make some provision for the public's "right to know," it also defers to law enforcement's judgment when it comes to what is or isn't "authorized use" of photographs/video depicting police performing their public duties.

Obviously, this small nod towards the public's rights is completely insincere. The government wants to clamp down on protests and it obviously can't be embarrassed by award-winning photographs/video of its police officers beating civilians wholly uninvolved with the protests that so angried up the cops' blood.

Those defending the law (sort of) think the built-in "protections" will at least protect some favored members of the media.




Victora Lerena, president of Spain's association representing visual journalists, thinks the language about freedom of information will protect journalists, but predicts anyone who tries to take images of police at protests without media organization credentials could be at risk.

This is likely true, considering the "credentialed" press already blurs officers' faces when reporting. But the most damning images of police misconduct usually come from unofficial sources, and even the most aggressive of mainstream news outlets frequently defer to the government's judgment when reporting on alleged police abuse.

Spain has outlawed dissent and given the police extra protections and respect they haven't earned. That's as close to a police state as you can get without actually declaring martial law.

This is extremely depressing... that is all I have to say.

a reply to: infolurker

Well i doubt this will go down well,if i am not mistaken we are about to witness a war between the people of Spain and the authorities there....not good....

Now that I read into the subject more, it appears that Spain already has quite the history with media censorship, especially when it comes to police & govt.

www.techdirt.com...

www.wsws.org...


Edit - I'm interested to see if any fellow ATS'ers from Spain can chime in on this one and give any input!

I was stationed in Spain for 3 years and it was a great country, but ever since it changed to the Euro and EU influence it's gone downhill. Obviously they are expecting big protests, may they are planning to inflict austerity on their people?

A leftists dream.

This is the left in action.


This quote from the men who run Spain's government.
"We're speaking the same language as the people. We know what they feel and we're making the same analysis they are," said Juan Carlos Monedero, 51, a Podemos founder and, like Iglesias, a professor of political science."
www.reuters.com...
(This article explains how the leftist's came to power that now run Spain)


We now see what the left in action is really like don't we?

Really totalitarian at heart and when in power, totalitarian in action.

The left's motto appears to be:
You will only say things we approve of.
You will only think things we approve of.
If you don't, we will punish you.
Because we speak the people's language,
and the peoples language is what we tell them it will be.

Hmmmmm, sounds eerily like the current rhetoric of the left in the US doesn't it?

Hmmmmm, looks eerily like Hillary physically rounding up and roping off journalists to keep them away from her.

a reply to: infolurker

Yep economic depression, censorship, aggression in Europe, suspension of rights and oppression . It looks like a mirror image of pre World War II conditions. Does everyone remember what that amounted to ?



I'm sure everyone knows because when conditions like this present their self. It makes things ripe for the rise of fascism .

Thing is with governments and their people, the more the government back the people into a corner, they're gonna snap back at some point. I think that several places around the globe have seen people being backed into corners.

a reply to: infolurker

I had to be here to read this, and I thank you for this thread.
sarc/
Generalissimo Francisco Franco Bahamonde, where are you when
we need you? Oh wait, you guys are already there by virtue of
legislation... kind of like we Amerikaners were over forty to sixty
years. Tito should be holding his sides too.../sarc

The insidious, treacherous mission creep of cowards and their paper
world. My genuine condolences for your beautiful culture stolen by
vultures yet again.
"It's a shame there's no Hell for him to go to." Christopher Hitchens
on the passing of an unnamed televangelist turned politicoid.
But then I repeat myself.

originally posted by: Greathouse
a reply to: infolurker

Yep economic depression, censorship, aggression in Europe, suspension of rights and oppression . It looks like a mirror image of pre World War II conditions. Does everyone remember what that amounted to ?



I'm sure everyone knows because when conditions like this present their self. It makes things ripe for the rise of fascism .

Here^ and this. I heard Tarpley right after the 2008 GE bemoan the
Organizer postured to take America into fascism under left cover.
I wanted to disbelieve him; but more planks of the Manifesto have
been nailed in tighter with him than anyone except FDR. For my
take of it, the US isn't even possessed of sufficient class to pass the
laws anymore- the Stasi Lite will just beat us all up in a legal grey area.

Who'll be the next in line?

Well it seems that the Euro dreams of unified nations and increasing wealth for all is becoming the biggest nightmare for all those citizens in the countries that had fallen for their scam.

Like another poster said, you can only push the populations so much before they snap.

a reply to: derfreebie

From America its like being on the outside looking in at the eventual collapse of a culture through a glass window. Then I turn around and see another window with someone looking in at me.

Its a progressive decline into where chaos must be brought into order by design.

a reply to: Greathouse

Looks like we will see real life Norsefire Parties all across Europe. Already we see the rise of the far right in France under Marine Le Pen.

The US government is going to try to make the military make enemies of the people that it swore an oath on the constitution to protect against enimines foreign AND DOMESTIC. ..
They are calling anyone who believes in the Constitution the domestic enemie when it's actually the opposite. ...

originally posted by: grandmakdw

A leftists dream.

This is the left in action.


This quote from the men who run Spain's government.
"We're speaking the same language as the people. We know what they feel and we're making the same analysis they are," said Juan Carlos Monedero, 51, a Podemos founder and, like Iglesias, a professor of political science."
www.reuters.com...
(This article explains how the leftist's came to power that now run Spain)


We now see what the left in action is really like don't we?

Really totalitarian at heart and when in power, totalitarian in action.

The left's motto appears to be:
You will only say things we approve of.
You will only think things we approve of.
If you don't, we will punish you.
Because we speak the people's language,
and the peoples language is what we tell them it will be.

Hmmmmm, sounds eerily like the current rhetoric of the left in the US doesn't it?

Hmmmmm, looks eerily like Hillary physically rounding up and roping off journalists to keep them away from her.

Erm, you do realise that the PP (Partido Popular) headed by Mariano Rajoy is a right wing party, right?

originally posted by: Greathouse
a reply to: infolurker

Yep economic depression, censorship, aggression in Europe, suspension of rights and oppression . It looks like a mirror image of pre World War II conditions. Does everyone remember what that amounted to ?

The death of six billion-trillion-squillion ??? Or should we dare to address the REAL results of WW2 ??? The aftermath of WW2 turned into the greatest game of chess ever played, and it's still being played, we are simply living in the final few moves.

originally posted by: Greathouse
a reply to: infolurker

I'm sure everyone knows because when conditions like this present their self. It makes things ripe for the rise of fascism .

It's funny how fascism get's a such bad rap when it's simply a right-leaning sort of regulated libertarian-socialism.

Yes two countries who embraced fascism killed between 5-9 million in the 20th century.

But the communist ones killed OVER ONE HUNDRED MILLION.

Ponder that for a moment. I'm not exactly espousing Fascism, but it certainly was the lesser of two evils.

Also research the original meaning and scope of fascism (don't bother with contemporary sources, but look to the original writings from Italy). The idea behind fascism was in direct opposition Marxism. Rather than want to destroy the traditional family structure like Marx preached, and embrace a collectivist utopia joke where we all put forth our best effort, yet we all are rewarded equally... Fascism sought to create an environment where people were able to yield the most from their individual efforts while not being screwed over by corruption and bureaucratic injustice. Fascism as intended was all about protecting your country, labor force and culture. Essentially Fascism is supposed to function exactly like Amish communities where any outside culture or technology which is deemed corrupt, or does not contribute.enrich your culture or life is banned.

It's similar to regulated capitalism, but tends to be stricter. For example outsourcing of jobs would be illegal under most facsist regimes since it undermines the working class. Pornography, perhaps alcohol, most drugs, predatory lending, reverse mortgages, corrupt insurance practices etc. Basically under fascism, if it's not good for the people, it's not legal.

As China has embraced capitalism more and more, today their system actually closely resembles the original vision of Fascism.

Just trying to be eduational here. Not many people know the original idea behind a lot of the political idealogies. Hell, look at how twisted the foundation of our USA has become!

a reply to: 8675309jenny

Actually to me Communism is in itself a form of fascism .

a reply to: 8675309jenny

Exactly, we fought a war with Great Britain to get away from the same thing we have going on now and is even worse. ....if you think about it we didn't really win the war we just opened our own franchise. Our forefathers though of everything accept that they had to ensure that the new generations had to believe in the same things and would not be corruptible.

a reply to: infolurker

This is absolute insanity. Bend over for the bankers. I hope the public rises up with pitchforks and riots the hell out of the public(or should I say communists) offices.

This should be a warning to other countries. Spain has very restrictive gun laws and no individual rights to bear arms.

They are ripe for the pickings and defenseless.

Ghost

The "ley mordaza" or the gag law is a definite curtailing in principal of the ability of the populace to demonstrate against policies or situations which they believe to be against the public good, there is no doubt about this at all, and a large majority of the population are against it in principal, most believe it requires reform.
It is not, however, what some in here and some in the media are claiming, some draconian fascist/communist (according to the agenda of the reporter) Orwellian control of the populace by a police state.
The fact is that the law was introduced to basically stop spontaneous or non planned demonstrations around public buildings and important areas infrastructure and of commerce. The general idea is that if a demonstration is not planned or legally invoked then those who take part can face fines of up to 600 euros or so. If the demonstrations result in serious damage to property or persons that can be upped to 30,000.
The genesis of the legislation was born from the anti-austerity demonstrations some years back which where quite the social revolution at the time. The problem was that once the point had been made, certain factions, rather than just packing up, kept on and remained camped in some of the principal areas of the major cities and basically squatted there, making everyday life quite hard.
Another part of this law is that it is now illegal to impede the emergency authorities in the carrying out of their duties.
While some may consider this new law to be draconian, I think that it should be taken in the context of the incredible freedoms that Spanish society had after their long struggle under Franco's totalitarian regime. Once they got democracy, they went to town, and in fact one might say there was rather a lack of control, in a way.
But one thing is for sure, after, as I mentioned, having suffered so much, there is one thing the Spanish people will never do again, and that is allow government to become so powerful as to eradicate their freedoms.
This law will be modified until the people are basically happy with it, just you wait and see.
Plus, the general elections in November will be interesting, I don't think anybody, for probably the first time in 20 years, knows who will win.