On the 28th of January the Spanish ‘Audiencia Nacional’ confirmed the prison penalty of 9 months for rapper Pablo Hasél, which had been levered against him in May of last year. In order to silence him for his refusal to respect the worship the monarchy demands of the people, they threw against him accusations of glorification of terrorism and insults against the Spanish crown and state. As a result, they demanded that Hasel voluntarily present himself in jail – but in truth he has no choice, this is the state’s concept of volunteering.
Comrade Hasél – someone who has had earlier issues with the law, for refusing to give any respect to the violence leftovers of the Francoist state – responds in a manner we should all learn and repeat: “They are going to jail me for telling objective facts, but they will never bend me”.
The Vrije Bond stands in solidarity with comrade Hasél and all antifascist comrades currently on the streets, facing the violent repression of the State and its hounds, the police. This repression has escalated to more and more Spanish cities over the last days. The images which come to us from de Porta del Sol, Barcelona, and other cities are not falling on deaf ears. We demand freedom for all prisioners, the right of every person to be able to maintain their dignity and to have their voice heard – and to criticize the oligarchs and fascists which continue to rule Spain uninterrupted since 1939.
We must not forget that even in the Lowlands and Belgium, similar laws are used to silence oposition to the monarchy and to deny us the freedom to protest and make our voices heard. Even here, protestors get abused or removed from public spaces for the most basic of expressions – Fuck the King! -.
The Dutch monarchy is no better than any other monarchy. It accumulates wealth, protects private interests, and goes vacationing and confraternizing with murderers and dictators while the homeless swell in numbers, while food banks grow all over the country, and while the COVID crisis pushes mental health and social rights to the limit.
Pablo Hasél is not the first, nor will he be the last to stand up to them. And the resistence the anti-fascist front gives against the spanish police is something we should all watch and learn from, for in these lands too there is a King which deserves to be shoved off his throne forever, together with all the parasites that surround him.
Freedom to all prisoners!
Solidarity with Hasél and all spanish anti-fascists!
Down with all kings!
Down with all lese-majesty laws!