Spain: New law: protesting may mean 2y in prison

[auroraglacialis]

In face of the financial crisis and the accompanying crackdown on resistance movements, Spain is drifting more into the police state mentality (some even call "fascism"):

Spain accused of 'draconian' plans to clamp down on protests - Telegraph

Jorge Fernandez Diaz, the Spanish interior minister announced in Congress on Wednesday that a reform of the penal code was planned to criminalise those involved in organising street protests that "seriously disturb the public peace".

[I]t has raised fears that the new measures could be used to stem the wave of protests that began last summer with the birth of what has been dubbed the "indignado movement", when tens ouf thousands of peaceful protesters camped out in squares across Spain.

Protest groups were quick to draw comparisons to the fascist dictatorship of Gen Grancisco Franco.
[...]
[H]e also said that the measures would extend authorities powers to deal with passive resistance as contempt of court.

The measures will make it "an offence to breach authority using mass active or passive resistance against security forces and to include as a crime of assault any threatening or intimidating behaviour," he said in Congress.

In addition attempts to disrupt public services such as transportation would also be made a crime. During the recent general strike picketers blockaded bus and train stations in an attempt to bring transportation to a halt.

So it will be potentially illegal to do simple nonviolent actions like blocking a road to a company that is doing harm, sitting in front of trucks or therelike. Even traditional activities during strikes may be illegal. And just trying to organize such things with social networking will be illegal, as I understand this - which means that the police will increase gathering data about people in the internet.

[Marvellous Chester]

Clamp down on legal forms of protesting and there are only illegal ones left. When will governments learn

[Taronyu Eywa]

World is going down the sink.

[txim_asawl]

And I'm sure all those lobbyists and representatives steering the European (as in EU) politics on so called "internal security" are now rubbing their hands, seeing chances to offer a proposal to the secretaries of interior in their respective countries, pointing and saying "Well, look at Spain... they have the right idea..."

This also serves very well as an answer to the question, whether the EU is turning more and more into an autcratic and possible fascist conglomerate of states, as has been asked elsethread...

Considering the financial crisis, I bet Greece would love to pass such a law, too, or even invoke martial law... after all, Greece used to have a military junta (and still was a NATO ally during that time, too).

It's a wonderful continent I'm living on...

Wiggling bare toes,

~*Txim Asawl*~

[Clarke]

Originally Posted by Taronyu Eywa

World is going down the sink.

Southern Europe is going down the sink because southern Europe is bankrupt.

...

[auroraglacialis]

The rest of the world is also bankrupt. Except maybe China, but they have the undemocratic society anyways.

I guess Spain is getting closer to that line:

Originally Posted by Erich Kästner

Man darf nicht warten, bis der Freiheitskampf Landesverrat genannt wird.

which means: "One should not wait until the time is here, when the struggle for liberty is called treason"

[txim_asawl]

Interesting facts about the Spanish national government, by the way... the secretary of the interior Jorge Fernández Díaz, secretary of state José Manuel García-Margallo, secretary of health affairs Ana Mato and secretary of defence Pedro Morenés are all members of the Catholic sect "Opus Dei" - as well as the secretary of economic affairs, Luis de Guindos, who was appointed in December 2011 to lead Spain out of the finance crisis...

De Guindos has experience especially in the bank sector... in 2008, he lost his job as head of the Spain and Portugal subsidiary of Lehman Brothers (for reasons we all know, since the bankruptcy of that special institute caused a large heap of manure to hit the air condition).


So, the people wanting to be safe of protesters are all members of a secret society within the Catholic church, who seem to be eager to keep their secret affairs as secret as possible... maybe tha Vatican could jump in, financing the almost-bankrupt Southern Europan countries. After all, the money gathered beneath the Holy Chair, where someone resembling Emperor Palpatine and former inquisitor is sitting in, could well buy a large part of Europe. Are we underway to see the rise of a church nation, with a pope-emperor at the top?



Wiggling bare toes,

~*Txim Asawl*~

[auroraglacialis]

Oh the cospiracy nuts will love this.

[Niri Te]

Originally Posted by txim_asawl

After all, the money gathered beneath the Holy Chair, where someone resembling Emperor Palpatine and former inquisitor is sitting in, could well buy a large part of Europe. Are we underway to see the rise of a church nation, with a pope-emperor at the top?

~*Txim Asawl*~

Read the books of Daniel and Revelation, especially the warnings of the Beast that was wounded unto death, but did not die. The beast with seven heads, and ten horns.
Niri Te

[Clarke]

Originally Posted by txim_asawl

So, the people wanting to be safe of protesters are all members of a secret society within the Catholic church, who seem to be eager to keep their secret affairs as secret as possible... maybe tha Vatican could jump in, financing the almost-bankrupt Southern Europan countries. After all, the money gathered beneath the Holy Chair, where someone resembling Emperor Palpatine and former inquisitor is sitting in, could well buy a large part of Europe. Are we underway to see the rise of a church nation, with a pope-emperor at the top?

I think if buying large swaths of Europe becomes a possibility, Chancellor Dr. Merkel* will have a lot more ability than the Holy See.

*Have you seen the titles this woman has? She's a Doctor of freakin' quantum chemistry. I wish my country had politicians that awesome.

Originally Posted by Niri Te

Read the books of Daniel and Revelation, especially the warnings of the Beast that was wounded unto death, but did not die. The beast with seven heads, and ten horns.
Niri Te

IMO, don't. They're too vague to be helpful in this situation, and doing the wrong thing because we've misinterpreted evidence will be even worse than doing nothing. (Probably.)

[auroraglacialis]

Originally Posted by Clarke

*Have you seen the titles this woman has? She's a Doctor of freakin' quantum chemistry. I wish my country had politicians that awesome.

She has another one. She used to be "Secretary of agitation and propaganda" ("agitprop") for the east German socialist party. - Still find her awesome?

But she has a secret position as well:

[Moco Loco]

Secretary of agitation? Sorry, that just sounds hilarious.

[Human No More]

Sounds, but isn't. East Germany was one of the most oppressive socialist regimes around; it's where the Stasi originated from.

[Cyvaris]

^Building on that suggest everyone goes to watch "The Lives of Others" as soon as they can.

Personally I am just waiting for the US to do this. Living in Florida(were everything weird happens) the chatter among activists is that the Republican National Convention could see some..."interesting" changes to how the police and judicial systems handle protesters. It is already well know that the Hillsborough Judicial system is being revamped to deal with the very high amount of arrests that are expected to be made. From the chatter/news reports its seems that hearings/trials for people arrested will be conducted close to 24/7, many will be at night, AND they will happen as quickly after the arrest as possible.

Police state Florida here we come!

[Niri Te]

I used to live in Hillborough County in the early to mid eighties, (ElGoya in Ybor City, and Rene's in Tampa were favorite hangouts of mine). When I was there, I never saw a "Police State" mentality exhibited by the folks in power, and being arraigned within minutes, or at most, hours, after being arrested, seems like delivering on the constitutional promise of a speedy trial, AS LONG AS the defendant's are afforded Legal council at their arraignment. That is FAR better than in some states where people can languish in a jail cell for weeks before seeing a Judge.
Niri Te