A Spanish sense of humour failure
Two Basque newspapers are on trial (via) for poking fun at King Juan Carlos I after an incident during an official visit to Russia in 2006. The Spanish King, an avid hunter, reportedly killed a circus bear named Mitrofan that had been plied with vodka to make it an easy target.
“He was cooked!” read the headline in the satirical supplement of a Basque newspaper,Deia. A photo-montage on the cover showed a drooling King wearing a Russian hat, brandishing a rifle over a dead bear and a barrel of booze. Deia and Gara, another Basque newspaper, are also on trial for publishing an article entitled “The Tribulations of Yogi Bear”.
A Spanish judge shelved the case back in April on the basis that the the cartoonists had the right to free speech. Last week, however, Judge Fernando Grande-Marlaska was overruled by the Spanish National Court, which insisted that the cartoon and article constituted an “attack on the monarch’s self-esteem”.
“The King of Spain is perhaps the most overprotected person in Europe,” said José Antonio RodrÍguez, one of the two people who created Deia’s offending cartoon. “If his self-esteem has been damaged, well, perhaps he needs to see a psychologist.”
Insulting royalty or “damaging the prestige of the Crown” is a crime in Spain, punishable by up to two years in prison.
In a separate case, the two cartoonists who were prosecuted over a cartoon that appeared in El Jueves are appealing against a €3,000 fine.
And in a third, upcoming case, actor and comedian Pepe Rubianes is charged with “insulting Spain”. Mr Rubianes told Catalan television in 2006 that he was sick and tired of hearing about the “unity of Spain” – a concern cited by conservative Spaniards to oppose a law then under discussion to grant Catalonia greater regional autonomy.
“We have noticed a worrying trend in Spain, because these laws [against insulting the Crown] have been put into practice,” Giulia Tamayo, of Amnesty International, said. “We are concerned that it is setting a precedent.”
Sunday 29 Jun 2008 | Paul | Spain
