A feminist group acquitted of a hate crime reported by Abascal for graffiti against him

The Criminal Court 3 of Castellón has acquitted the feminist association Subversives Castelló and its president of hate crimes and threats against the president of Vox, Santiago Abascal, in relation to some graffiti where the politician's face was seen with a dot red on the forehead that simulated a gunshot. The judge establishes in the ruling that “the requirements of a hate crime do not meet” nor has it been possible to “determine the material authorship of the images.” She also considers that it has not been proven that these images “incite the commission of violent acts.” The sentence can be appealed.

The trial was held on November 22 and the Prosecutor's Office, in its final conclusions, considered that the facts did not constitute a crime and requested the issuance of an acquittal sentence. On the contrary, the private accusation, brought by the national leader of Vox himself, described the events as a hate crime and requested that the Associació Feminista Universitària Subversives Castelló, as a legal entity, receive a five-year fine, the suspension of activities and the closure of its premises and establishments.

For the president of this entity, the accusation requested three years in prison and the payment of a fine for a hate crime or, alternatively, two years in prison for a crime of unconditional threats, they have reported from the Valencian Superior Court of Justice. .

The sentence comes days after a network of people and entities linked to Vox sponsored the rally in which a Pedro Sánchez doll was beaten shouting “We must put an end to him!” in front of the PSOE headquarters on Ferraz Street in Madrid last New Year's Eve. The Prosecutor's Office of the National Court is studying the complaint filed by the PSOE for the alleged crimes of threats, hatred, public disorder, illegal demonstration or serious insults against the head of the Executive.

In Castellón, fifty people gathered on the day of the trial in support of the feminist group and the activist prosecuted at the gates of the Castellón city of justice, with banners that read “Abascal al banal” or “Totes som subversives” and antifeixistes.” In a statement signed by Subversives and Alerta Solidària, both entities maintained the “clear political intention” of the complaint filed by the Vox leader, with which he sought, they said, “to criminalize the feminist movement and victimize the extreme right with the aim of to whitewash their hate speech.”

The Subversives member prosecuted, who at the time of the events was listed as the legal representative of the entity, denied during her statement the authorship of the graffiti and exempted the feminist group from responsibility for the events. Abascal, who had planned to intervene electronically, ultimately did not do so as the hearing coincided with his intervention in Brussels.

The ruling, which can be appealed, declares it proven that, on a date prior to December 12, 2019, several graffiti were carried out in various parts of Castellón, such as the façade of a building on Zaragoza Street or in Ribalta Park, where the face of Santiago Abascal could be seen with a red dot on his forehead as if simulating a gunshot. On some of them, the signature of the Subversives collective appeared next to it, silk-screened.

The graffiti appeared after a Vox event held in the capital two months earlier. That visit by Abascal to Castelló motivated a protest by Subversives under the format of a “popular kiss” as a gesture of support for the LGTBIQ collective. The leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, then filed a complaint for an alleged hate crime and threats.

The magistrate explains in the resolution that the material authorship of the graffiti is not recorded, since there are several people who make up the accused association “and several also assume its representation, all of this regardless of whether the accused can empathize or agree.” with the message that was intended to be transmitted with the published images.” On the other hand, the judge understands that in this case the requirements of a hate crime are not met, as it has not been proven “that there is incitement to the commission of violent acts.”

Subversives was born in 2016 at the Universitat Jaume I of Castelló as a feminist and anti-capitalist collective and with the objective of “bringing feminism to all university and local places, empowering women through collective sisterhood and ending patriarchy,” they indicated. in your cover letter. In it they opened a space “where women can express themselves freely, feeling comfortable” inviting them to “be part of our anti-patriarchal struggle.”