THE FACE of dissent just took on another dimension, quite literally. To protest a new “gag” law aimed at cracking down on demonstrations outside government buildings, Spanish activists last weekend assembled the world’s first-ever virtual march, made up of 2,000 rallying holograms in front of the national parliament in Madrid. The event had the energy, images, and sound of a protest but without actual bodies. It was a technological lesson for Spanish politicians. But beyond being a clever stunt to raise awareness of a possibly unconstitutional anti-activism law, the spectacle reinforced the realization that technology will always find ways to outwit government forces trying to silence citizens’ voices.

The new Spanish law, which is scheduled to take effect July 1, essentially criminalizes freedom of expression under the guise of “public security.” The legislation penalizes and establishes hefty fines for unauthorized protests that turn violent inside or outside parliament buildings or key locations, and for taking or distributing photos of police officers if it endangers their safety or the success of an operation. “From now on, the only way to demonstrate in Spain will be through holograms,” said one of the organizers of last week’s virtual protest.