Two British men are suspected of blowing up 13 cash machines in a bank robbery spree along the Costa del Sol in southern Spain.
A selection of interesting tidbits from the Spanish media ... in English.
Saturday 12 November 2016
Thursday 10 November 2016
Spoil sport: Spain's PM Mariano Rajoy hopes to ban memes
In the latest blow to freedom of expression in Spain, Mariano Rajoy’s brand new PP government is hoping to make the sharing of memes on social media a crime.
The Popular Party has already put together a measure against the “spreading of images that infringe the honour of a person” and this was presented as a motion to Congress this week.
No te pierdas los mejores memes y gifs de Mariano Rajoy en #ElHormiguero https://t.co/mgwcdFB42V #RajoyEH pic.twitter.com/bieQSR2E1f— TelevisiónLV (@TelevisionLV) June 22, 2016
The PP are planning to include the latest measure in the controversial “Citizens Security Law” which was introduced back in July 2015. That law was dubbed the “Ley Mordaza” or “gag law,” as it restricts public protest, disrespecting the police and social media activism, with large fines imposed.
Los mejores MEMES del #debatedeinvestidura de Mariano Rajoy https://t.co/ZdvMPh3lDv pic.twitter.com/895aHes57N— Los Replicantes (@los_replicantes) October 27, 2016
Social media was widely used during the 15M Indignados protests back in 2011 and activists have continued to utilize Facebook, Twitter etc. ever since, much to the dismay of Rajoy and his cohorts.
Mariano Rajoy celebrando la nueva ley que convierte en delito los MEMES. pic.twitter.com/c5ECV3PlF4— SinLadillasEnLaLengu (@SinLadillas) November 8, 2016
As reported by The Local, Carlos Sánchez Almeida from the Platform in Defence of Freedom of Information (PDLI) slammed this new measure as yet another threat to freedom of expression in Spain. Almeida said, “If the intent is to pursue those who publish images without consent then an act as widespread as sharing political criticism in the form of memes becomes a risky activity.”
@PPopular y @marianorajoy ¡Sí son delito!#NiUnTwitSinMeme#EmergenciaHabitacionalhttps://t.co/8HQ56C1J75— PAH Barcelona (@PAH_BCN) November 10, 2016
Naturally this hasn’t stopped the outpouring of yet more political memes, particularly against Rajoy himself, as can be seen here and including some older posts.
Tarde de memes y mucho humor en torno al nuevo Gobierno y los ministros de Mariano Rajoy Por @gonzoonews https://t.co/Tpbnhf8RJe pic.twitter.com/1pxYdfmXsj— 20minutos.es (@20m) November 3, 2016
Wednesday 9 November 2016
President Donald J. Trump's dump makes a unique Christmas gift
Every year, Catalonia in Spain comes up with the best new "caganer" (or crapper) figurines, just in time for Christmas
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| Photo by Michael Vadon / CC BY-SA 4.0 |
This centuries old tradition sees celebrities and political figures bare their behinds in figurine form to take a crap; a rather cheeky idea for inclusion in the annual Christmas nativity scene. 2016 is no exception, with the two recent U.S. presidential candidates so much in the news and the latest Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton "caganers" have now been unveiled.
No un gran moment x reivindicar la figura dl #caganer #Trump pic.twitter.com/zvJ3HHK7yd— Xevi Alde #Tram21 (@xevialde) November 9, 2016
According to the Local, originally the tradition was started with the figures of Mary and Joseph taking the proverbial dump, which was thought to both symbolize fertility and also bring luck and riches for the upcoming year.
In modern times, the tradition continues - but in a rather tongue in cheek form - with various Spanish politicians such as Mariano Rajoy and the new president of the Catalan parliament, Carles Puigdemont heading to the shop shelves. Of course, President Barack Obama has been in the product line for some time.
Estats Units decideix avui el seu futur president. Qui arribarà a la #casablanca: #Hillary o #Trump? pic.twitter.com/vETC3G9Fl7— Caganer (@caganers) November 8, 2016
With Trump winning the presidential race, there appears to be a range of models available, so you can probably get a different one for every member of the family.
Y el caganer del año es para .. Trump pic.twitter.com/eRNhlewkNP— charo salas (@charkis73) November 9, 2016
Sunday 6 November 2016
Spanish National Police capture French hitman in Halloween devil mask
A notorious French hitman was nabbed at a Halloween party in Malaga, southern Spain, while wearing a devil's mask and a black cape and wig.
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| Photo courtesy Policia Nacional |
Hammid Hakker, 47, a fugitive on France's most-wanted list, was arrested together with two Spaniards who police suspect were helping him to hide in the country. According to a statement by the National Police, the man was disguised as a devil,in order to blend in with the other party-goers.
According to a report by The Local, Hakker is wanted for drug trafficking, murder and money-laundering and was sentenced by a French court back in 2005 to 15 years in jail for the murder of a minor drug trafficker. However after the jail in northern France granted him a temporary leave of absence in November 2013 Hakker has been on the run.
Prison Break: Hakker has escaped from jail before
He had previously escaped from a jail in Paris back in 1998, taking the place of another man in the visiting area of the prison and was re-arrested in 2003.
Detenido en #Halloween, y disfrazado de diablo, un líder de sicarios reclamado por homicidio, tráfico de drogas... https://t.co/xMMQZRhWcR pic.twitter.com/6p5UvzvHvl— Policía Nacional (@policia) November 4, 2016
Reportedly the Spanish police began investigating Hakker in mid-October, after they discovered a "hitman's kit" with two guns, ammunition, a silencer, false ID documents and eight mobile phones, along with 5,000 in cash in a house in Malaga.
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