Pablo Hasel Protests: Anger Over Arrest of Rapper Who Insulted Spanish Monarchy

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The arrest of a rapper at the centre of a free-speech case has led to violent protests in Spain. Some angry protesters blocked the streets in Barcelona and set fire to bins, while in Madrid, police confronted demonstrators with batons during the second night of clashes.

Rapper Pablo Hasél was arrested on Tuesday after a tense 24-hour standoff. The artist had barricaded himself at a Catalan university to avoid prison together with some supporters.

He was sentenced in 2018 to nine months in jail for tweets and lyrics that insulted the Spanish monarchy and glorified terrorism, according to prosecutors.

The case caused turmoil in the country with concerns over freedom of speech. The Spanish left-wing government said last week that it’s planning to change the criminal code which will eliminate prison terms for offences related to freedom of expression.

The 2015 Public Security Law, dubbed the ‘ley mordaza’ or ‘gag law’, was enacted by a previous conservative-led government and led to many artists and social media personalities being put on trial for their controversial statements.

Report by Giulia Bassanese

#PabloHasel #SpainProtests #Spain

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