- Title: Graffiti artists protest over jailed Spanish rapper
- Date: 21st February 2021
- Summary: BARCELONA, SPAIN (FEBRUARY 21, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF STREET ARTIST 'ROC BLACKCLOCK' PAINTING A GRAFFITI DEPICTING DICTATOR GENERAL FRANCISCO FRANCO'S FACE (SOUNDBITE) (Catalan) STREET ARTIST, 'ROC BLACKCLOCK', SAYING: "All this action is bigger than my mural and my work, it is a claim against the gag law, about all the actions that are being taken in this country to censor freedom of expression, therefore thank you very much for the apologies (eds note: refers to apologies made by Barcelona city council which erased his previous mural) but what we want are real changes that are noticeable." VARIOUS OF STREET ARTIST 'ROC BLACKCLOCK' PAINTING A GRAFFITI DEPICTING FACE OF SPAIN'S FORMER KING JUAN CARLOS I (SOUNDBITE) (Catalan) STREET ARTIST, 'ROC BLACKCLOCK', SAYING: "A situation that is in democratic precariousness at an extreme level can only improve, obviously it could get worse, for example, I am here painting the dictator, so it can be much worse, but what is indisputable is that there is so much work to do and we are late to this, because it is not a current thing, Pablo Hasel has entered prison and made it evident, but the case of Valtonyc (eds note: refers to another rapper convicted for his songs) and his sentence already has two years." VARIOUS OF STREET ARTIST 'ROC BLACKCLOCK' PAINTING A GRAFFITI DEPICTING FACE OF SPAIN'S FORMER KING JUAN CARLOS I (SOUNDBITE) (Catalan) STREET ARTIST, 'ROC BLACKCLOCK', SAYING: "We have been protesting for years and asking for these changes and now everyone is tearing their clothes for four burned containers, but we have been protesting for a long time and (the government) has had enough time to make these changes, but it has not been until all this has happened that they have started talking about changing the law and doing a review so that this does not happen again." PEOPLE WATCHING 'ROC BLACKBLOCK' PAINTING STREET ARTISTS PAINTING GRAFFITIS VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WATCHING GRAFFITIS AND TAKING PICTURES OF THEM (SOUNDBITE) (Catalan) BANK OFFICER, TONI MARIN, 52, SAYING: "These graffiti transmit what society thinks, in favor of freedom of expression and against the freedom of destruction, I think it is very good to stand up for everything, but always in a peaceful way, against what we are seeing, destruction of street furniture, looting in stores, I am against that." (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) HOUSEWIFE, CHUS LEON, 56, SAYING: "In all the demonstrations that are taking place these days in Barcelona and the rest of Spain, I think there are people who do not belong to them, the demonstrations are also a place of freedom and opinion, just like these graffiti, which have an artistic and freedom values." VARIOUS OF STREET ARTISTS PAINTING GRAFFITIS A FEMALE ARTIST PAINTING A GRAFFITI READING (Spanish): "IN GENERAL, YOU GOT ME FED UP" AND A DRAWING OF A VULVA VARIOUS OF STREET ARTISTS PAINTING GRAFFITIS GRAFFITI READING (English): "FREEDOM OR FIRE" GRAFFITI SHOWING A DRAWING OF A CROWNED PERSON AND BLACK EAGLE CLAWS ON TOP (referring to the link between Spanish Crown and former dictatorship by Franco, who used a flag with a black eagle) GRAFFITI SHOWING A DRAWING OF A BLONDE YOUNG WOMAN DOING THE NAZI SALUTE AND WEARING A BLUE SHIRT AND READING (Spanish): "SHAME" (referring to recent public homage to the 'Division Azul', a former Spanish infantry unit that fought with Nazi's Germany against the Soviet Union) GRAFFITI READING (Spanish): "FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION" GRAFFITI SHOWING A HORIZONTAL DRAWING OF SPAIN'S KING WITHOUT HEAD GRAFFITI PROTEST IN PROGRESS
- Embargoed: 7th March 2021 15:54
- Keywords: Barcelona Pablo Hasel Spain freedom of expression graffiti paiting rights urban artists
- Location: BARCELONA, SPAIN
- City: BARCELONA, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Art,Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Europe
- Reuters ID: LVA001E0L65VR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:A colourful mural showing arrows through the heads of former Spanish king Juan Carlos and the late dictator General Francisco Franco was among images that graffiti artists painted on walls in Barcelona to protest on Sunday (February 21) the jailing of a rapper for glorifying terrorism and insulting the monarchy in his songs.
The nine-month sentence imposed on Pablo Hasel, who is known for his fiercely anti-establishment raps, has sparked a debate over freedom of expression in Spain and demonstrations which descended, at times, into violence.
The artists' peaceful demonstration contrasted with five nights of clashes in Spanish cities between protesters and police in which containers were burned, banks smashed up and projectiles were thrown at residents.
They called for a change in anti-terrorism and gagging laws which they say unfairly limit people's right to demonstrate their disapproval in the streets.
"We have been protesting for years and asking for these changes to gagging laws and now everyone is tearing their clothes for burning containers," said Roc Blackclock, an artist.
Thirty-eight people were arrested in cities across Catalonia on Saturday (February 20) after demonstrators smashed windows in Barcelona's emblematic Palau de la Musica concert hall and looted shops on the city's most prestigious shopping street, Passeig de Gracia.
"These graffiti transmit what society thinks, in favour of freedom of expression and against the freedom of destruction," said Toni Marin, 52, a bank worker.
The Spanish government announced last week it would scrap prison sentences for offences involving cases of freedom of speech.
Senior members of the hard left Unidas Podemos party, the junior partners in Spain's coalition government, voiced support for the protesters which critics took to mean tolerating the violence.
Jose Luis MartÃnez-Almeida, the conservative mayor of Madrid, blamed Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for tolerating Podemos' attitude to the violence. Sanchez condemned the violent protests on Friday (February 19).
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