Spanish authorities allow neo-Nazi rally in Madrid on eve of football Cup final
The decision is in stark contrast with the ban on independence flags at the upcoming Barça-Sevilla FC match
BarcelonaThe representative of the Spanish government in the Madrid region has decided to allow a neo-Nazi march in the centre of the Spanish capital on Saturday, one day before the Spanish football Cup final where estelades will be forbidden. Mariano Rajoy’s caretaker government does not wish to see any pro-independence flags being waved, or any other “unconstitutional symbols, as established in the Sports Act”, but it is prepared to allow a far-right political rally in the streets of Madrid only a few hours earlier.
It will be a march called by a group named Hogar Social Madrid (“Madrid Social Home”) whose motto is “Stand up for Spain, Stand up for your people” and it is due to kick off on Saturday at 6 pm in Plaza de España and finish at Plaza Dos de Mayo.
At the press conference where she announced the estelada ban, the representative of the Spanish government in the Madrid region —Concepción Dancausa— stated that “this representative has very little leeway” because the right to demonstrate is “tightly protected by the law and by judges”. Her stance is in stark contrast with the ban on Catalan separatist flags, which groups of jurists, civic organisations, politicians and other professionals regard as “an attack on free speech”.
The representative has also authorised two anti-fascist rallies on the same Saturday, one of which may draw nearly 6,000 people in Atocha, where they are expected to march all the way to Plaza del Sol.
