By Euro Weekly News Media • Published: 09 Sep 2016 • 15:59
Demonstration against the "Gag Law" in Madrid.
A YEAR after the controversial Citizen’s Security Law came into effect, almost 500 people have been fined for offences included in its myriad of articles in Almeria Province alone, according to data released by the Ministry of the Interior.
The so-called ‘gag law,’ the report reveals, has seen 272 people commit minor offences, and 224 commit serious offences against this law, which was brought in by the Partido Popular with fierce opposition from all other political parties, and claims that it went against rights included in the Spanish Constitution, and was just a cash cow.
That could well appear to be the case as, in Almeria alone, at least 100,000 euros worth of fines have been issued.
Minor offences, such as failing to show sufficient respect for members of the security forces, can result in fines ranging from 100 to 600 euros, while serious offences, such as causing public disorder, blocking public streets and putting people at risk, disobedience, or refusal to show ID to the police, can result in fines of between 601 and 30,000 euros.
Locals did, however, behave themselves well enough to avoid committing very serious offences, which include taking part in forbidden demonstrations in certain public places, or distracting pilots with lasers, which can see them handed fines of between 30,000 and 600,000 euros.
Just one person, in Madrid, has had a fine of this type, the Ministry said.
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This law shows how backward and undemocratic the Spanish way of thinking can be, although it wasn’t brought in to be a cash cow it was brought in to try to restrict people from demonstrating and has been used to prevent the showing up of the corrupt dealings and behaviour of the authorities, I remember in one case a photo of a police car parked in a disabled parking space while not on a call out to be one of these instances where the person who published the photo was charged and not the police car driver.
I was parked outside a cafe for a morning coffee where part of the trailer I was towing was over the unloading area, ok not allowed but it was something that everyone did at this location as the unloading bay was seldom used. The police stopped and pulled me on it and it saying I couldn’t park there just to have my morning coffee, when the owner of the cafe came and stood at the door looking at the police they suddenly decided not to give me a ticket! 2 days later there were 2 police cars parked over the same area and guess where the police where, sitting at the bar having their morning coffee…. yet if a photo had been taken of that and published then the person doing that would be in trouble, laws that permit this to happen are not laws we need in this day and age, Rayoy has taken Spain back to feeling like a banana republic in many ways with his outdated outlook and beliefs.
its a ridiculous law and totally unconstitutional. Lets hope Rajoy goes and the law gets axed
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