Protests against the monarchy rock Spain, by Dario Pio Muccilli

Monarchy is often regarded as the old-fashioned setting of Disney stories, but where it is the current form of government there is no valiant prince or happy ending.

In reality even kings fall into sin, like happened to former Spanish king Juan Carlos I, who, six years after his abdication was found guilty of bribery. He collected $78 million from a Saudi fund in order to favor a certain company in the construction of a high speed railway.

Before he could be put on trial he fled to Abu Dhabi, leaving his son, King Felipe VI, alone in Madrid.
This news is not that recent, but a new event found Spain demonstrating against the monarchy: the arrest on Feb 15th in Barcelona (Catalonia, West Spain) of rapper Pablo Hasel, who through tweets and various songs, called Juan Carlos “an idiot” or a “Mafia boss”, while the rest of the royal family was defined “fascist”.

Those insults, alongside with praises to the GRAPO Marxist-Leninist armed groups, brought him a sentence of two years in prison. Despite the judges’ harshness, no one prevented the masses from demonstrating (even violently) through all Barcelona streets and Catalonian cities advocating the right of “free speech” and demanding a total amnesty for opinion crimes — especially those regarding a former King who, in their opinion and for the Spanish Judicial System—is a fugitive.

Hasel’s story is only the latest clash between Catalan people and the Crown, as well as the ruling central government in Madrid. Catalonia has sought independence from Spain. In 2017 they tried to hold a referendum for secession but was blocked by the Spanish government. Police and the military were sent to shut down polling stations and disperse voters.

Since then, the repression has not stopped, with the democratically elected independentistas arrested and accused of “sedition”, a crime with a potential 30 year prison sentence.
The few leaders that managed to save themselves are now exiled, like Carles Puidgemont, but the few who are not in jail or abroad managed to keep the Independentist front strong, as the latest electoral results for Catalonia’s regional parliament assigned 68 out of 135 seats to Pro-independence parties.

All this stuff led to a widespread anger amidst Catalans, which was abruptly expressed in rapper Hasel’s words, which maybe were too rough and violent, but which are the consequence of the

Spanish government’s continual denial of the rights of Catalonians.

The conflict which is taking place in Spain shows the eternal clash between the need of unity for a state and the need of democracy for a people: the solution lies in establishing whether the state is superior to people or vice versa.

The state works only if it represents the “general will” as per the fabled philosopher J. J. Rousseau.
Government should not stifle that will, especially if in the constitution it is clearly written that “national sovereignty lies in the people,” (Article 1 Spanish Constitution).

That is why the Spanish Government should be really embarrassed about the whole situation, knowing how Hasel’s thoughts are widely shared, perhaps even by themselves. Up to now promised not to prosecute opinion crimes like those Hasel was sentenced for, but for now, the rapper languishes in prison while the corrupt former King enjoys his ill-gotten money on the seaside of Abu Dhabi.

Dario Pio Muccilli

Dario Pio Muccilli is the Star-Revue’s Italian correspondent, based in Turin. Email him at [email protected]