Witch Hunt

These past few days a puppet show has taken Spain by storm. It's called La Bruja y Don Cristóbol and is a satire meant for adults. It's produced by a little-known company called Títeres Desde Abajo, from Granada. The members are all libertarian anarchists. They propose freedom from the four pillars of control that, according to them, stifle individual freedoms and force society into enslavement. Those pillars are the Church, the judiciary, the landowners, and the police. Yes, this sounds like something from the beginning of the twentieth century, but some people still believe that. The puppet show is about a witch, who is first accosted by the landlord, who rapes her. She has the child, and a nun comes and tries to take it away from her. The nun fails and dies in the ensuing fight. Then, the policeman comes and beats the witch senseless. To frame her, he places a placard next to her hand with the phrase "Gora Alka-ETA". Then she is brought before the judge, who condemns her to die by hanging. But she tricks him and he is the one who dies on the gallows. 

The problem isn't the message, which is satirical. The problem is that the City  of Madrid's cultural department hired them to present the puppet show during Carnival, and announced that it was "apt for all ages." Of course, most people associate puppet shows with children. So parents and grandparents showed up at the convened time and were subsequently shocked. Some children, apparently, even began to cry. A couple of parents decided to call the police, aducing that the placard placed next to the witch was exhalting terrorism, specifically Basque terrorism. The police showed up and arrested the two puppeteers. They were immediately arraigned before the judge, who sent them to prison without bail. And hence began the show of "The Terrorist Puppeteers." The latest chapter was written today, when another judge set them free, saying there was no danger of them disappearing or of repeating the crime they're accused of. But they're still charged with exhaltation of terrorism.

Everyone has an opinion. Were they really exhalting terrorism? Was it simply a hapless decision on the part of the local Secretary of Culture or was the leftist local government showing its nefarious beliefs? The truth is that it sounds more like censorship than anything else. Because the sign used by the puppeteers is not the slogan used by ETA terrorists. The puppeteers took the caution to write "Gora Alka-ETA". The slogan without the "Alka-" is against the law in Spain. If you are found with anything saying that, you will be arrested and investigated for any relationship with the terrorist group. It means "Up ETA" in the sense that it supports the organization. 

Things might be getting out of hand. Freedom of speech seems to be in danger of being whittled away. While I have no sympathy whatsoever for a group of idiots who want to get their way by killing and maiming civilians and police, that doesn't mean people can't speak their minds or satirize certain situations. In Ourense this past weekend, a young man was detained by the police for dressing up as one of the arrested puppeteers and carrying the sign of discord. He was detained, identified, and warned that a judge would decide if he had committed the crime of exhaltation of terrorism. (here) Yes, terrorism has caused much damage to Spanish society, but we should learn to respect freedom of speech when it's being used, and not try to kill an annoying fly with a cannonball. 

Figures from the puppet show.