Holograms for Human Rights

by wjw on April 12, 2015

The right-wing People’s Party in Spain has passed a series of draconian security laws that criminalize the following:

  • Protesting the government without the government’s permission.

  • Carrying out meetings

  • Taking photographs or videos of police without the permission of the police.

  • For “being present at an occupied space” (like a social center or an apartment, apparently)

  • Meeting or gathering in front of Congress

  • Appealing fines for any of the above.

The laws also make it legal for police to stop and search without reason, perform random identity checks, prohibit any protest without reason, perform body searches without reason, and create blacklists of people for any reason whatever.

So how do you protest a law that prohibits protest?

You protest holographically.

The protestors are not physically present at the protest.  They can’t be stopped, arrested, searched, or beaten.  Yet they’re still visible, and they’re protesting.

I have a feeling that holography won’t be legal for long . . .

kpacheneg April 14, 2015 at 1:03 pm

We’ve seen it all through history, as most recent with Greece’s Syriza and their Golden Dawn rabid dogs, only a well-organized Left can beat the Right. Protest based on gimmicks is a drop in the ocean in terms of actually getting the Franco fascists out of Congress.

Susan B April 16, 2015 at 3:25 am

And it sounds to me like I won’t be traveling to Spain any time soon. Which is a pity since they say Barcelona is rather nice. But I’ll not spend my tourist dollars given what you’ve said about the direction of the lawmakers.

Emy June 5, 2015 at 6:13 pm

Susan B: please come spend your shiny american dollars over here, the “good” ones won the elections for mayor of Barcelona! Ada Colau is our new chief. Please google her. Whatever the government in Madrid decides about Catalonia, we won’t be silenced for long. We may need a little coordination from a Lincoln Brigade though…

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