The neighborhood of San Martín, in Toledo, celebrates this weekend its neighborhood festivals, an event with numerous activities that included in its programming the recording of a podcast, under the title “Boycott and resistance to Israel. Do not buy the genocide”, which the city council did not authorize to carry out, which has generated criticism from different groups that describe the decision as “censorship”.
The recording of the podcast was one of the initiatives proposed by the Toledo Platform for Palestine, which has an information stand during the holidays. Its recording was to take place on Friday afternoon as part of the program “Rutas Enemigas”, broadcast on Onda Polígono, a local radio station in the regional capital.
However, shortly before the start of the festivities organized by the Association of the Neighborhood La Cava, the City Council sent them the mandatory declaration that did not authorize this activity but authorized the celebration of all others, as well as the occupation of the public space that They constitute an area located between the bridges of San Martín and La Cava, at the foot of the historic center and on the banks of the Tagus.
Concretely, the City Hall has excluded the authorization of this podcast for “being aware that the content, according to its title itself, is likely to generate” a hate crime, in particular “that prescribed in article 510.1 a) of the Penal Code”, as indicated in the communication sent to the neighborhood group.
The aforementioned offence provides for penalties for those who “publicly encourage, promote or incite, directly or indirectly, hatred, hostility, discrimination or violence against a group”. […]because of their membership, for racist, anti-Semitic, anti-Gypsy or other reasons related to ideology, religion or beliefs. It includes prison sentences of one to four years and a fine of six to twelve months.
“They are watching a crime that did not happen”
Roberto Martín, a member of the neighborhood association and representative of the Toledo Platform for Palestine, expressed the group’s “discomfort and surprise” at the decision adopted by the city council. He explained that they decided not to record for the podcast to “avoid the agitation” that could harm the development of the neighborhood parties, which normally took place until dawn and continued this Saturday and Sunday.
“They are looking at a potential crime, something that didn’t happen. It’s not justifiable,” says Martín, who, also a crier at this year’s La Cava Festival, called the situation in Palestine “one of the most abominable episodes in recent history.” “They see a political reason for it and that’s not the case. “We simply want to justify the very serious problem of Gaza from the point of view of conscience and solidarity.”
“They are looking at a potential crime, something that didn’t happen. It’s not justifiable,” says Martín, who, also a crier at this year’s La Cava Festival, called the situation in Palestine “one of the most abominable episodes in recent history.” “They see a political reason for it and that’s not the case. “We simply want to justify the very serious problem of Gaza from the point of view of conscience and solidarity.”
For all these reasons, he describes as “censorship” the fact that this activity did not take place, as does the Onda Polígono Association, which in a statement also considers this exclusion as “a prejudice, because without knowing the content of the program, we cannot assume that hatred, hostility, discrimination or violence against a group are directly or indirectly encouraged, promoted or incited.”
“Furthermore, we consider that freedom of expression is restricted, preventing an act where an event as terrible as a war would be analyzed from the point of view of a citizen. We deeply regret that the city council takes decisions of this type regarding spaces of opinion and debate, regardless of the subject to be debated, thus demonstrating an attitude typical of totalitarian forms of government,” adds the group of this community radio.
City Council justifies its decision: “It is not admissible to attack or boycott”
The City Hall, for its part, justifies that it is not opposed to “supporting a certain cause or defending an ideology” but, it underlines, “what is not admissible is that this is done at the cost of attacking or boycotting those who are different.” “Everything is a city of peace and tolerance, not war. It is the city of three cultures and the Jewish imprint is part of our heritage,” municipal sources add.
Also speaking to this media, Daniel Díaz, presenter of the Rutas Enemigas program for more than 12 years, regrets this decision with which, he says, “the City Hall prejudges whether the people who were going to speak there are anti-Semitic or against someone.
Kites, dancing or a Guernica for Palestine
However, other activities promoted by the Toledo Platform for Palestine took place normally, such as a Dabkeh workshop – a traditional Palestinian dance -, another on the making of Palestinian kites, or the creation of a large poster in the colors of the Palestinian flag with Guernica as a motif.
