Spain's "gag"laws

[Perikles]

There has been a lot of protesting about the new gagging law which is now in operation n Spain. The Local gives a summary of the most serious of it's restrictions.

Does anyone object to any of these?

[El Profesor]

I`m sorry . . . . I can't afford to comment 

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

All of them.

[Perikles]

All of them.

So even the botellón?

[Guanche]

Like Prof, I can't afford to comment. I no longer add to the comment's section of any Spanish news papers out of fear. I wonder if they would use an EU arrest Warrent to get someone in the UK, or any EU country for that matter, for breaking these laws directed at the Internet?

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

If I understand correctly, outlawing the botellón would mean that the time I spent recently drinking homemade wine in a field at 1000 in the morning with some farmers would be illegal.  So that is why I said against.

[Janet]

A botellon is specificaly a street party, so you would have been fine in a field 

[Janet]

First victim of Spain's new "gag law" is Güímar man who called local police "skivers" on Facebook ...



Mind you, in France, they're about to make it illegal to insult or discriminate against the poor, even those on benefits ...

god I love the French ...   

but also the Times ...

[Nova]

Vive La France!!

I'm a little concerned about the Spanish gagging laws though.  If I said that the Guardia Cilvil chappie I served today was rather dishy, could that be construed as a lack of respect? 

And presumably even on a forum like this one, calling politicians "bastards" for proposing outrageous laws that we disagreed with, like criminalising abortion, could also be penalised, right?  (That isn't my word, of course, I'm sure all politicians are loved dearly by both their parents, who I'm sure married each other before said politician was born...)

Do we know whether the law only applies to comments posted after the date the law came into farce or do we need to edit some posts?  You know, make sure everything is politician-friendly and suck butt a little bit....

And are citizens to be held responsible for perfectly innocent typographical errors?

[Janet]

I don't know that the law's retroactive, so only comments this month and henceforth will be an issue ...

Dishy is a compliment ...

But "bastard"? If "skiver" is a problem, then I reckon "bastard" would be ...