Скачать или смотреть Spain protest one year after rapper Hasel's arrest

(19 Feb 2022) Dozens of protesters marched in downtown Barcelona on Saturday demanding the release of rapper Pablo Hasél, a year on from his arrest.
Hasél was detained on February 16 last year following a 24-hour standoff with police after the musician and 50 of his supporters locked themselves inside Lleida University as he attempted to avoid a prison sentence for insulting the country's monarchy and praising terrorism.
Haséls detention was broadcast live by local and international media and set off a powder keg of pent-up rage in the southern European country.
Dozens were arrested and many injured during a series of protests that turned violent following his detention.
The singer's supporters were clamoring for Spain's left-wing government to fulfill its promise and roll back the Public Security Law passed by the previous conservative administration that was used to prosecute Hasél and other artists.
For many, including older peaceful protesters, Hasél's case also represented what they perceived as a heavy-handed reaction by a state whose very structure is in need of deep reform.  
That's even when in some of his public remarks, especially in messages sent out on Twitter, Hasél expressed radical ideas, talking about attacking politicians and defending the now-defunct Grapo and ETA, two armed organizations that killed over 1,000 people in Spain.
Hasél's lyrics that struck at King Felipe VI and his father, King Emeritus Juan Carlos I, connected with a growing public debate on the future of Spain's parliamentary monarchy.  
According to Spanish media Hasél is to serve prison time until March 2023.  
The rapper, whose real name is Pablo Rivadulla Duro, has other pending sentences and has refused to receive penitentiary benefits.

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