Spain will impose a raft of new laws to combat popular protests in opposition to EU central bankster austerity.

The Ley Mordaza, or Gag Rule law passed Spain’s lower house of Parliament late last week. It essentially bans all public protest and imposes heavy fines on anybody who dares peacefully protest against the government or shows disrespect for authority and police.

The offenses, reported by Revolution News, are as follows:

Photographing or recording police – 600 to 30.000€ fine. Peaceful disobedience to authority – 600 to 30.000€ fine. Occupying banks as means of protest – 600 to 30.000€ fine. Not formalizing a protest – 600 to 30.000€ fine. For carrying out assemblies or meetings in public spaces – 100 to 600€ fine. For impeding or stopping an eviction – 600 to 30.000€ fine. For presence at an occupied space (not only social centers but also houses occupied by evicted families) – 100 to 600€ fine. Police black lists for protestors, activists and alternative press have been legalized. Meeting or gathering in front of Congress – 600 to 30.000€ fine. Appealing the fines in court requires the payment of judicial costs, whose amount depends on the fine. It allows random identity checks, allowing for profiling of immigrants and minorities. Police can now carry out raids at their discretion, without the need for “order” to have been disrupted. External bodily searches are also now allowed at police discretion. The government can prohibit any protest at will, if it feels “order” will be disrupted. Any ill-defined “critical infrastructure” is now considered a forbidden zone for public gatherings if it might affect their functioning. There are also fines for people who climb buildings and monuments without permission.

Spaniards have reacted to EU imposed austerity with massive demonstrations. Since 2011, protest participants, who are sometimes referred to as the “indignados,” have staged continuous demonstrations in Madrid and across the country.

In 2012, the EU and the IMF provided Spain with a $130 billion loan to recapitalize its banks. Following the announcement, the Spanish government said it would cut 660 million euros in spending, cut wages for civil servants, close state-owned companies, raise property and other taxes, and tighten unemployment benefits “to encourage jobless people to seek work quickly.” Spain has a 25% unemployment rate.

In addition to imposing Ley Mordaza and shutting down opposition to austerity, the Spanish state has geared up for civil unrest.

In November, the Spanish digital daily, Público, revealed that 200 soldiers from the Light Armored Cavalry Regiment Lusitania No.8, based in Valencia, received special crowd control training, including the use of anti-riot equipment, by the military police, writes Vicky Short.

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