Spain has experienced significant censorship and government surveillance in recent years. The 2014 Gag Law made many forms of protest illegal and increased penalties. The government has also conducted surveillance operations like Cesicat and Pandora/Mate that profiled activists, lawyers, protesters and journalists. A documentary called "Dead City" explored these issues of censorship and control of dissent in Spain since the 1930s Spanish Civil War. There is now greater public discussion of police corruption and torture of protesters in Catalonia and Spain.

1. Current State of Censorship & Surveillance in Spain

2. Welcome to Valencia!
Land of oranges and Paella!

3. Oct. 2014
Corruption has been imputed to more than 120
politicians in Valencia.

5. Data
23 % unemployment
50 % unemployment in Youth
136 % of unemployment in Journalism
284 media have closed in Spain
376 new media have been created

6. Themes of this talk
- #leymordaza / Gag Law
- Historical and Political Background
· From the Spanish Civil War to the Indignados movement
- The Violents and The Terrorists
· Cesicat (The Catalan Prism)
· #OperationPandora
· #OperationMate
- #Ciutatmorta “ Dead City” Documentary

7. What will now be illegal in Spain:
Ley Mordaza / Gag Law

8. But the Spanish
President went to
Paris

9. Indignados Movement
Suggested documentary:
The Square, the seed of occupy movement

10. Link to video about PAH (Platform people
affected by mortgages)

11. Timeline
1936 - 1939 Spanish Civil War (and the International Brigades!)
1939 - 1975 Franco Dictatorship
“Political Transition”
2004 - Bombing Attack in Madrid - Al Qaeda. (The government at first said it had been made
by the ETA not Al Qaeda)
2008 The case of activist Enric Duran (Robin Hood of The Banks) 2 days before Lehman
Brothers colapsed. Beginning Economic Crises
2011 Indignados Movement
2014 Ley Mordaza / Gag Law

12. “The Violents”
and
“The Terrorists”

13. “The violents”
2012 website

14. Cesicat created 2009
Cybersecurity government - PRISM
“monitorization for the control of political-social actions”
Anonymous attack 2013 reveals they are
spying activists, lawyers, protesters, journalists.

15. “The terrorists”
Mate Operation “ETA”
Pandora Operation “Terrorists Anarchists”

16. Control of
squats

17. Documentary Ciutat Morta
“Dead City”

18. Public Opinion is now talking
about police corruption and
torture in Catalonia and in
Spain.
Is this a turning point for
“activist”/”squatter”/”protester”
profiling ?