Introduction
Spain’s parliament overcomes political deadlock through controversial deal
On 16th November 2023, Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) leader and Spain’s acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez secured parliament’s backing to form a new government. This victory followed four months of political paralysis after the early parliamentary election on 23rd July 2023 ended inconclusively. Despite the conservative opposition People's Party (PP) defeating the ruling PSOE, PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who received King Felipe’s mandate on 29th September 2023 to attempt an investiture session, failed to gain sufficient votes to become the next prime minister.
Pedro Sánchez received support from 179 of the 350 parliament members, including all seven lawmakers from the Catalan separatist Junts party, led by former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont. In fact, Sánchez managed to secure the support of the majority of lawmakers in the Spanish parliament after reaching a controversial deal with the Catalan separatists on 9th November 2023: in exchange for their support, he promised to pass an amnesty law pardoning those involved in the failed bid for Catalonia’s regional independence in 2017.
Specifically, the blanket amnesty foresees the lifting of criminal, administrative and financial penalties imposed on more than 300 people linked to the Catalan independence movement between 1st January 2012 and 13th November 2023, with Carles Puigdemont potentially benefiting from the agreement. It is also expected to benefit at least 73 police officers charged with acts of violence against protesters in Catalonia. On 13th November, 2023, the amnesty law was registered by the PSOE in Congress. Nevertheless, the law could take months to pass, as it could be delayed in the Senate by the PP, which has a majority in the upper house, and ultimately blocked by the Constitutional Court.
The Spanish electorate and opposition parties have strongly opposed the proposed legislation, arguing that it violates both the Spanish Constitution and fundamental principles of the rule of law.
Freedom of association
Right to protest and freedom of assembly threatened as Catalan Tsunami Democràtic movement investigated for terrorism
On 6th November 2023, in the midst of negotiations on the amnesty law that allowed the formation of a government chaired by Sánchez, the judge of the Spanish National Court, Manuel García Castellón, announced 12 people were under investigation for terrorism for allegedly participating in the activities of Tsunami Democràtic, a Catalan protest group advocating for Catalonia’s self-determination. The group was created with the aim to organise and coordinate the citizens’ protests against the Spanish Supreme Court’s conviction of the Catalan independence leaders in October 2019. Among the actions organised by the movement was a protest at Barcelona airport, following the sentencing of the Catalan leaders.
In elaborating his decision to open an investigation into Tsunami Democràtic, Judge Castellón claimed that the essential objective of the group was to “undermine the constitutional order, destabilise the state economically and politically and seriously alter public order through massive social mobilisation". Following these accusations, Spanish civil society organisations, including Irídia and Novact, have expressed their concern that terrorism is being used to criminalise the right to protest. The organisations described the judge's decision as “disproportionate”. Overall, they fear that the Spanish authorities could use court proceedings and police investigations to silence the democratic movement.
Those accused of being the “political coordinators” of the Tsunami Democràtic include the La Directa journalist Jesús Rodríguez, the former President of Catalonia and current MEP Carles Puigdemont and the Secretary General of the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) Marta Rovira. In the past, Rodríguez has reported extensively on rights violations, abuse of power and the persecution of dissidents. La Directa and the local journalists' unions condemned the court proceedings against their journalist as a violation of press freedom.
The prosecution intends to appeal Judge Castellón's decision, as it considers that the events of the Tsunami should not be considered “terrorism” but “public disorder" and should therefore be investigated in the Barcelona courts and not in the Spanish National Court. If the draft amnesty law is passed, the case against the Tsunami Democràtic movement would be among the legal cases wiped out by the legislation.
Climate activist arrested over museum protest
On 12th January 2024, the Spanish police announced that they had arrested 22 climate activists over protests in museums and other locations. Among other things, the protesters had glued their hands to paintings by Francesco de Goya and thrown paint at buildings.
During one protest, which took place in early November 2023, two protesters had glued their hands to the frames of two paintings and drawn “+1,5°” on the wall between the paintings. The paintings were not damaged during the protest. The police arrested two demonstrators at the time, and the group “Futuro Vegetal” claimed responsibility for the protest action.
Members of advocacy groups for the Civil Guard sanctioned for opposing separatist amnesty
On 14th November 2023, Spain’s Ministry of Interior confirmed that the director of the Civil Guard, Spain’s national gendarmerie, Leonardo Marcos, has decided to sanction Agustín Leal, the spokesman for Justice for the Civil Guard (JUCIL), an advocacy group representing the majority of the country’s civil guards. Leal may be suspended for up to three months for a message he published on 29th October 2023 on X, in which he accused Pedro Sánchez of committing "the greatest crime" because he wanted to pardon Catalan independence supporters.
JUCIL believes that this sanction is aimed at silencing the voice of the thousands of civil guards the group represents that, like Leal, work to “defend the rights and freedoms of the Spanish people”. The association also announced that it is already taking legal action to protect Leal against the accusations made against him.
Members of another advocacy group for the Civil Guard, APROGC, namely its president and vice president, are facing a similar sanction for stating, on 10th November 2023, that they were "willing to shed every last drop" of their blood in defence of the sovereignty of Spain and its Constitution.In the statement, APROGC expressed its deep concern about the amnesty agreement between PSOE and Junts.
Deal agreed between Amazon and logistics workers in Spain over Cyber Monday walk-outs
On 20th November 2023, the Confederación Sindical de Comisiones Obrera (CCOO), Spain’s largest trade union, called for around 20,000 warehouse and delivery workers at Amazon's Spanish unit to stage a one-hour strike on each shift on "Cyber Monday", i.e. on 27th November 2023, to demand better wages and working conditions. The union is calling on the company to improve occupational safety and recognize the risks in the workplace in Spain, as well as to increase staff and raise wages.
On the 27th November 2023, in response to the planned strike, Amazon rushed to reach an agreement with most of its workers in Spain to avoid the full impact of the strike. Only 5,000 Amazon workers continued their protest and stopped work in the last hour of their shift after deeming the company's proposal for better pay conditions insufficient. The CCOO said it would continue negotiations with the company to improve wages and working conditions in the local unit.
Freedom of assembly
Protests all across Spain over amnesty deal for Catalan separatists
Between 8th October and 18th November 2023, in response to the announcement that the amnesty law was part of the negotiations to form a government led by Sánchez, several groups called for protests against the proposed law. These included the Societat Civil Catalana (SCC) in Barcelona, and Vox, the PP and Foundation for the Defense of the Spanish Nation (DENAES) in Madrid. Sanchez’s deal with the Catalan parties sent shockwaves around the country with the demonstrations drawing a significant number of participants.
The protests mainly took place in front of the PSOE headquarters in Madrid and involved multiple violent confrontations between protesters and the police, resulting in dozens of people arrested and national police officers injured from firecrackers and empty cans being thrown at them. During these events, some protesters were also said to have chanted "Puigdemont, to prison", "Let Txapote vote for you", and "Sánchez traitor". On 7th November 2023, Sanchez called the attacks on PSOE headquarters “an attack on democracy and all who believe in it.” It was also reported that youth associations gathered against the amnesty in front of the Law faculties of the Complutense University (UCM) of Madrid and the University of Barcelona.
The largest protest against the amnesty law took place on 18th November 2023, two days after Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez won the four-year term, when about 170,000 people marched through Madrid. The protest was organised by civic groups, but the PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo and Vox leader Santiago Abascal attended the march as well. After the rally, hundreds of people protested on the motorway near the Moncloa Palace, the prime minister's residence in Madrid.
Protesters at Spanish National Day rally refuse amnesty law
On 12th October 2023, the day commemorating the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas, around 900 people attended the annual Spanish National Day rally in Barcelona. The demonstrators explicitly spoke out against the amnesty agreement between the pro-independence parties and the left-wing Spanish government. Representatives of the People’s Party, Vox and Ciudadanos took part in the event.
On the same day, a far-right rally was held in Barcelona's Montjuïc mountain with around one hundred people attending. Participants were heard singing ‘Cara el Sol,' one of the hymns from Spain's Fascist dictatorship led by Francisco Franco, and fascist signs were also spotted at the event.
Thousands in the streets in support for Palestine and Israel
On 14th and 15th October 2023, tens of thousands of supporters of Palestine, as well as members of the Palestinian community and the Arab diaspora took to the streets in several cities across Spain in protest of the violent military escalation being carried out by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip. The biggest protest was held in Madrid on 15th October, and brought together 60,000 people. Ione Belarra, acting minister of social rights and leader of Podemos, attended the protest.
On 26th October 2023, students all across the country went on strike to protest the war and to show solidarity with Palestine. They also took part in rallies in 23 Spanish cities in front of town halls or in important squares in various parts of the country. A second strike rally was held on 16th November 2023, when university and high school students gathered in 38 cities including Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Malaga, Bilbao, Zaragoza, and Madrid. The Israeli Embassy in Madrid issued a statement condemning the protests, claiming that they increase antisemitism.
On 29th October 2023, another big protest that gathered around 35,000 people took place in Madrid to demand an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing war.
On 8th December 2023, in Guernica, one of the most symbolic places of the Spanish Civil War, more than 3,000 people supported Palestine by forming a human mosaic representing the pain of the victims of the Israeli attacks on Gaza and the Palestinian flag. The demonstration was organised by the Guernica-Palestine Citizens’ Initiative, which includes trade unions, political parties and social organisations. As another show of solidarity, the city sounded air-raid sirens, in memory of the moment when Guernica was bombed 86 years earlier by Italian and German troops supporting the Spanish dictator Franco during the Spanish Civil War.
Several demonstrations to support Israel were held as well. For instance, on 10th October 2023, about 500 people gathered around the Israeli Embassy in Madrid, alongside political figures and Jewish associations. On 15th October 2023, a further 500 people joined an event in Barcelona's Sant Jaume square to show solidarity with the Israeli people killed or held hostage by Hamas. The demonstrators lit candles and held a mostly silent vigil in memory of the victims.
Protest marches in Andalusia to demand quality public healthcare
On 28th October 2023, activists affiliated with the group La Marea Blanca, a movement opposed to the privatisation of several hospitals and clinics, held protest marches in the provincial capitals of Andalusia to denounce the government's policies on public healthcare, including plans to fund private medical facilities and teleconsultation services. Thousands of people, supported by trade unions and representatives of left-wing political groups, showed up to demand quality public healthcare.
Healthcare workers threaten to go on indefinite strike
On 12th December 2023, around 3,000 healthcare workers took part in a demonstration in Barcelona as part of their strike action in opposition to the recent agreement between the Catalan government and the Catalan Institute of Health (ICS) on working conditions for ICS staff.
The march, organised by several trade unions, ended in front of the Catalan government headquarters in Plaça Sant Jaume, where the demonstrators demanded the resignation of Health Minister Manel Balcells. The nurses' union “Infermeres de Catalunya” has called for an indefinite strike and the other unions have threatened indefinite action from January.
On 15th December 2023, on the fourth day of the protests, hundreds of nurses blocked one of Barcelona's main streets. The demonstrators carried a coffin with the inscription "RIP Nursing" at the head of the march and held banners with slogans such as 'A minister who belittles nurses is a minister who does not value healthcare'.
On 13th January 2024, nurses again took to the streets in Barcelona to demand better working conditions. The nurses’ union announced that, for the moment, they have no intention to call-off the indefinite strike.
NGOs protest against Spanish arms trade with Israel
On 20th December 2023, protesters backed by more than 375 non-governmental organisations in Spain gathered outside the national parliament to call for the end of the government’s arms deals with Israel. According to one of the participating organisations, Centre Delas, Spain purchased EUR 861 million worth of weapons from Israel in 2023 alone.
According to the Boycott, Divest, Sanction movement, the protest was backed by five political parties, including the left-wing Sumar coalition.
Climate groups in Madrid demand decisive action
On 2nd and 3rd December 2023, climate activists staged a climate mobilisation in Madrid. Participants, including Fridays for Future, Youth for Climate, Climate Alliance, and Greenpeace, are demanding increased government action on climate policies, recalling the thousands of fatalities caused by heatwaves, drought, torrential rain and forest fires.
Activists also called for a city optimised for the needs of people, not cars, as well as improvements in public transport, healthcare and waste management.
Freedom of expression
Woman journalist harassed while live covering rape case
On 6th October 2023, Informativos Telecinco reporter Ángela Julve was verbally harassed and obstructed by two men while reporting live from Benidorm, Alicante, on an alleged case of sexual assault of a foreign tourist. While providing crucial details of the assault, Julve’s reporting was abruptly interrupted by two men who approached her and harassed her. One of the men intruded into the shot, commenting inappropriately with "I like you!" and "Yes, sir!" Meanwhile, the other man stood shirtless in front of the camera and gesticulated in front of the lens. The Informativos Telecinco control team reacted quickly, cut the sound and ended the broadcast to protect the journalist.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism expressed its condemnation of the harassment and solidarity with the reporter. The organisation also called upon Spanish authorities to actively support and protect women journalists, creating an environment where they can work without fear of harassment or intimidation by holding accountable those responsible.
Promise to reform ‘gag law’ renewed
On 24th October 2023, the PSOE and the left-wing Sumar party signed a coalition agreement. Among other things, the pact provides for the abolition of the so-called "gag law", which was enacted in 2015 and grants the police far-reaching powers to ensure public order and provides for heavy fines for demonstrations outside parliament buildings. Human rights groups have sharply criticised the law, claiming that it allows the authorities to illegitimately restrict freedom of expression by silencing protests and sanctioning dissenting opinions.
In 2021, the PSOE had already promised to reform this law together with Podemos, but this could not be implemented in the previous legislature due to opposition from the ERC, Bildu and Junts, who all considered the proposed reform to be insufficient.
Online newspaper’s website brought down by cyber attack
On 26th October 2023, a cyber attack took down the website of the Spanish online newspaper Público, preventing the news outlet from publishing further content. Six days after the attack, Público set up an alternative website to provisionally publish information until the problem was resolved. The attack consisted of hijacking the newspaper’s files, preventing access to them until a ransom was paid. The attack was directed at a server belonging to Mediapro, a company that provides web hosting and cloud storage services for the media.
Journalists physically and verbally attacked while covering demonstrations against PSOE
On 6th November 2023, Javier Bastida, reporter for the Spanish TV broadcaster La Sexta, and TVE journalist Gabriel López were harassed by a protester while live-covering a demonstration occurring in front of PSOE headquarters in Ferraz, Madrid. During the attack, the harasser kept trying to interrupt Bastida, shouting “La Sexta manipulates, manipulators, dead from ETA, Arnaldo Otegui murderer" and jumping in front of the camera. Finally, the demonstrator grabbed Bastida by the arm and continued shouting. The same person prevented López from carrying out his work by shouting "Let Txapote vote for you".
Similarly, on 8th November 2023, protesters insulted and harassed journalists covering a demonstration in front of the PSOE headquarters in Santander. Protesters shouted insults at journalists such as “garbage”, “puppets”, “sell outs”, “scoundrels”, “s***** progressives”, “they are not journalists, they are communists” and “manipulative Spanish press”.
Between the 8th and 18th November 2023, several other cases of physical and verbal assaults against TV crews from Antena 3, CNN, TVE, and À Punt, all covering protests against PSOE in Madrid and Valencia, were reported. Local journalist unions and press freedom groups have repeatedly called out the hostile behaviours against media workers covering the protests, calling on demonstrators and political leaders to refrain from attacking members of the press and reminding them that the press has the indisputable right to work and report freely and safely.
El Mundo and El Español journalists arbitrarily detained by police
On 15th November 2023, during a demonstration held in front of PSOE headquarters in Madrid, two journalists, respectively from the news outlets El Mundo and El Español, were arbitrarily detained by police while covering the protest. The two journalists were reporting on the violent clashes between protesters and the police on Marqués de Urquijo Street. The journalists were caught in the middle of two police operations against demonstrators who started building barricades from rubbish bins and setting fires. At around 11 p.m, the two journalists, who had been invited by some local residents, fled into a gate of a residential building, to avoid being caught up in the clashes.
While the journalists were waiting in the lobby area for the riots to calm down, a man with his face covered entered the common areas of the building, accompanied by other people. They all identified themselves as plain-clothes police officers.The journalists told the officers that they were reporters on assignment, showed their IDs and press cards and explained that they had protective equipment in their backpacks and were accredited to the Congress of Deputies. However, the police officers violently shouted at the journalists that they were under arrest and that the officers “already knew what they had done,” claiming to have seen them throwing bottles.
After being handcuffed, they were taken to police headquarters in the Moratalaz police station. There, the two journalists were told that they had been arrested for allegedly disturbing public order after throwing bottles at the officers. Both journalists completely denied the police's version of events and were released at 6am the next day.
El Mundo and El Español said they consider the denunciation and arrest of their workers as an attack and a full-fledged violation of press freedom and were considering taking legal action against the National Police for unlawful detention and false complaints. Journalist unions denounced the arbitrary detentions and called on police officers to “respect the work of journalists”.
Radio reporter discredited by Vox officials
On 16th November 2023, a reporter from radio station Cadena Ser was verbally harassed by right-wing Vox officials while covering a demonstration in front of PSOE headquarters on Santa Lucía Street in Valladolid, in the autonomous region of Castile and León. During the demonstration, the vice president of the Junta de Castilla y León, the region’s governing body, Juan García Gallardo, the Minister of Industry Mariano Veganzones and the Valladolid City Councilor for Commerce Víctor Martín joined the demonstrators and shouted “manipulative Spanish press” at the journalist. Several of them, including the city councilman, recorded the journalist on their cell phones. The intimidation and discrediting of the Cadena Ser journalist by Vox officials was condemned by local journalists' unions and press freedom organisations. However, Gallardo denied any wrongdoing and repeated the accusation that the mainstream media was "manipulating information" about the protests.
Catalan president testifies as victim in Pegasus spyware trial
On 13th December 2023, Catalan President Pere Aragonès testified in a Barcelona court as a victim in the investigation into the alleged use of Pegasus spyware to monitor high-profile Catalan separatists, including himself.
Aragonès told the judge that the National Intelligence Center (CNI), Spain's intelligence agency, had spied on him from 2018 to 2020, during crucial political moments. He claimed that his cell phone contained relevant political information as well as personal matters. The Catalan president also indicated that, before the spying was revealed, he experienced phone issues such as receiving links from unknown sources.
The Catalan president also said that the Pegasus case must bring to light the "whole truth about espionage" and called on the Spanish government to declassify the CNI's documentation on Pegasus, stating that it is "an ethical and moral obligation."Previously, on 16th October 2023, the judges named Spain's former spy chief, Paz Esteban, as a suspect and called her to give testimony on the ‘CatalanGate’ espionage scandal. On 13th December 2023, Paz Esteban appeared before the judges to give testimony. This was the first time that a Spanish Intelligence Agency member testified as someone under investigation.
LGBTQI+ rights
LGBTQI+ platform asks to create a non-legislative commission in Andalusian Parliament
On 16th October 2023, the Federation of Associations 'Plataforma Orgullo de Andalucía', which includes 42 LGBTQI+ groups and entities from across the community, requested the President of the Andalusian Parliament, Jesus Aguirre, to create a permanent non-legislative commission for matters concerning the LGBTQI+ community.
On 25th October 2023, the Andalusian Parliament accepted the proposal. With this commission, the Federation intends to monitor compliance with the 2014 law recognising the rights of transgender people in Andalusia and the 2017 law guaranteeing the rights, equal treatment and non-discrimination of LGTBQI+ people in the region. As LGBTQI+ people are among the primary victims of hate crimes in the region, the most important issues to address are hate crimes, cyberbullying and bullying in the digital sphere, according to the Federation. This non-permanent commission will join the six already existing commissions of the autonomous institution.
Threats and insults over LGBTQI+-friendly nativity scene
At the beginning of November, the artist Antonio José Borrero Rodríguez, known as “Capi”, presented his work at the LXI. National Congress of Nativity Scene Makers in Seville. His work depicted a nativity scene showing the baby Jesus surrounded by two St. Josephs. Capi reported that his work was exhibited in the hotel in Seville where the congress was held without any problems until he showed it on social networks. A controversy then erupted and he faced backlash. Social media users accused him of being homophobic and sexist, and of wanting to erase women from history.
Capi wrote on X that the work was intended to challenge norms and send a message of inclusion to remind everyone “that love knows no boundaries or limitations”.
Madrid region lessens protections for members of LGBTQI+ community
On 23rd December, the Madrid Regional Assembly approved a proposal by the ruling conservative People’s Party to amend two LGBTQI+ laws from 2016. Under the revised law, protections for transgender people have been stripped back. Additionally, discrimination against employees on the basis of their gender identity or sexuality is no longer punishable. The same applies to physically assaulting a person on the basis of their gender identity or sexuality, provided no injuries are caused.
Monica Levin, a member of the People’s Party, said the reform brings back “rigour and science” to the protection of LGBTQI+ people.
Mas Madrid, a left-wing party, announced they will ask Spain’s human rights ombudsman to challenge the law before the Constitutional Court. Madrid is the first region in Spain to roll back LGBTQI+ legislation.