London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Spanish police protest plan to reform unconstitutional "gag law"

Spanish police protest plan to reform unconstitutional "gag law"

Critics of the Citizens Security Law passed by the previous conservative government in 2015 say it gives too much power to security forces.
Tens of thousands of Spanish police officers and their supporters marched in Madrid on Saturday to protest against government plans to reform a controversial security law known by critics as the "gag law."

Critics of the Citizens Security Law passed by the previous conservative government in 2015 have for years said that it gave too much power to security forces to the detriment of civil liberties.

Powerful police unions, however, say that the proposed changes to the law will make their job more difficult.

Eugenio Zambrano, union leader from the Central Sindical Independiente y de Funcionarios (CSIF) said, "(this law) give us a number of uncertainties to work on a technical level and also for our physical security, but the citizens are the more affected."

A new version of the law sponsored by the small Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) recently won the support of Spain's governing left-wing coalition.

Amnesty International and Spain's Ombudsman Office (Defensor del Pueblo) have also called for the law to be altered.

The proposed law could still undergo changes during negotiations in the Parliament's lower chamber, but as it now stands it would eliminate some of the most contentious parts of the current law.

These include the article that banned holding protests in the immediate vicinity of Congress or Senate buildings and the article that allowed border guards to push back migrants who had crossed the frontier.

A new tweak that is supported by the government is the allowance for spontaneous protests that now commonly arise from quick organisation of a march, for example, to respond to a case of gender violence.

Currently, organisers of protests or marches should tell authorities beforehand.

Police unions are against other planned modifications, above all one to remove a requirement for citizens to request permission from authorities before filming and publishing video of officers at work.

Last year Spain's Constitutional Court ruled that such a requirement for previous approval was unconstitutional.

But police fear that could make their officers easy to identify and thus put them at risk of reprisals.

The proponents of the law deny this, promising that the new law is about striking a better balance between liberty and safety.

Antonio, a Civil Guard officer participating in the march, said this law is going to make things easy for criminals, "citizens will be less protected and it is going to be easy for the criminals."

Right-wing opposition parties backed the police protestors.

Both the far-right Vox party and the Popular Party that passed the original security law while in power sent their leaders to the rally.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×