Spain’s Holograms ‘Protest’ The Gag Law

In Spain, public protests, freedom of speech in the press and documenting police abuses have become crimes punishable by heavy fines and/or jail, under the recently passed Citizen Safety Law. Essentially, the government can prohibit any protest at will, if it feels “order” will be disrupted, citizens cannot protest against the Congress or hold meetings in public spaces, and they now have to seek prior permission from the authorities to protest publicly. The draconian law makes it illegal to publish photos of the police or other authorities without permission; sharing those images on social media could also be considered a felony, resulting in a fine of up to 30,000 Euros.

In order to protest without violating the new guidelines of the National Security Act and the amendments to the Penal Code and the Anti-terror law, Spanish people and organizations have called for the manifestation of holograms against the Gag Law this month, since the activists believe “if you are a person you cannot express yourself freely, you can only do that here if you become a hologram”.

Hologramas para la Libertad has invited people to participate in the movement by writing a text message, leaving a “scream” by recording a voice message, or converting themselves into a hologram by recording a video via webcam. The massive protest is intended to demonstrate that despite the obstacles, “the government cannot silence our voices and, even if we have to become holograms, we continue to protest”.

“Reforming the Public Safety Act violates the right to public assembly. A measure that restricts the freedoms of citizens and criminalizes their right to demonstrate in the streets. Converting a right into a crime for which can haunt, stop and judge you,” the organizers state on the website.

The anti-draconian law movement has started getting a lot of support on Twitter already…

Hundreds of Basque journalists unite against Spanish Government’s Gag Law http://t.co/bS6gcf9D0b #LeyMordaza, pic.twitter.com/TVwsfxkoe9

— Lander Arbelaitz (@larbelaitz) April 1, 2015

Gracias! @manietos: Cautelas por la #LeyMordaza Antes de manifestarte desactiva el #wifi y la #geolocalización pic.twitter.com/XBiwI17ceM” — Rosa M. Tristán (@RosaTristan) April 1, 2015

Todo lo que ya no vas a poder hacer en internet. #LeyMordaza http://t.co/3WxkyZBy96

— Sandra Garnacho Arce (@sandraarce_) April 1, 2015

Fotos que en su día fueron premiadas y que hoy serían multa. Un, dos, tres, responde otra vez… #LeyMordaza pic.twitter.com/tON5sTTkvp — Legatus Augusti (@LegatusRomanus) April 1, 2015

#Spain: Protest against new fascist law #LeyMordaza (Gag Law) in #Madrid http://t.co/vSuSGWpAhe pic.twitter.com/RWkaV87tyk

— th anonymous (@ori_no_co) March 26, 2015