Hundreds of people marched in Barcelona on Saturday to protest against the harsh measures taken by the authorities following a series of violent protests over the imprisonment of Pablo Hasél, an artist who detracted from the system.
Saturday’s march took place under strong police presence, meandering through several avenues in the Catalan regional capital. Protesters marched behind a banner demanding the release of Hasel and some of his supporters.
Hasel is serving a nine-month sentence for inciting terrorist acts – he has praised two now extinct armed groups responsible for killing more than 900 people in Spain – and for refusing to pay a fine for insulting the Spanish emeritus king.
His arrest on February 16 provoked peaceful and violent protests that sometimes ended with the looting of shops in several cities. The case has also sparked a debate on the limits of freedom of expression in Spain.
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The ruling left-wing coalition has promised to launch a legal reform to remove sentences in prison for crimes involving freedom of expression. The coalition’s minor partner, the far-left party United We Can, has filed a petition to pardon Hasel.
Eight people have been jailed for being part of a group that protested the rapper’s imprisonment and set fire to a police van, an incident in which an officer barely managed to escape the flames.
They face possible charges of attempted murder, assault on law enforcement and being part of a criminal group.