Spanish government tries to kill free speech

This video says about itself:

Spain’s corruption eruption

1 February 2013

In austerity-struck Spain, street protesters are screaming for the government to resign over the latest corruption scandal. At the head of the conservative People’s Party (PP), Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has said he will speak publicly on the matter on Saturday. It concerns allegations that members benefited from a slush fund fed by private companies for years.

Spain’s main rival newspapers, the liberal El Pais and conservative El Mundo flushed the story into the open two weeks ago, revealing excerpts of almost two decades of handwritten accounts that it said were maintained by People’s Party treasurers.

The papers said the accounts showed more than a decade of payments to Rajoy of more than 25,000 euros per year. This has undermined his reputation for honesty.

Former PP treasurer Luis Barcenas stepped down in 2009 when judges began to investigate his possible involvement in alleged illegal payments from builders and other businesses which won government contracts.

A PP source said the allegations, if confirmed, raise serious ethical questions especially because politicians granted large numbers of development contracts during Spain’s building boom.

…

The party said its payments to its leaders and staff were always legal.

Until recently, according to a PP source, Spanish political parties were allowed to receive anonymous donations, but they had to appear in the official accounts.

The alleged payments may therefore not necessarily be illegal, but the income would have had to be declared in tax statements.

From daily The Morning Star in Britain:

Spain: Thousands march against gagging law

Thursday 2nd July 2015

THOUSANDS of protesters rallied in Madrid on Tuesday against a new Spanish gag law which went into effect at midnight.

Over 2,000 protesters pilloried the law as the legalised muzzling of free expression and the media.

Greenpeace activists started off the demonstrations in the morning with a surprise act of civil disobedience, draping a banner bearing the words “Protest is a right” over a crane at a construction site next to the lower house of parliament.

Later in the day, thousands of protesters swarmed the streets of Madrid and other Spanish cities to protest against the law.

The legislation allows for the summary expulsion of migrants who have been caught illegally entering Spain’s north African enclaves, sets fines of up to €30,000 (£21,300) for protests outside parliament and allows authorities to fine journalists who distribute unauthorised images of police.

A fine of up to €600,000 (£425,000) is included for unauthorised protests near key transport hubs or nuclear power plants.

A new National Security law, increasing the Spanish government’s police state powers, will come into force in time for the September 27 elections in the region of Catalonia. The law, which was approved by Congress in late July and will be debated in the Senate this month, gives the state more powers after a state of crisis is declared—these include allowing the central government to take control of regional and local police forces: here.