A police officer in Catalonia has been convicted of the crime of spreading “misinformation” on social media. This is a new law in Spain, and only a few people have ever been charged. It is being reported that this is the first case to ever result in a prison sentence.
A court in Barcelona convicted a Guardia Civil officer of attributing the wrong video to a rape that occurred in a Catalan city.
In July 2019, a Spanish woman was attacked and raped in Canet de Mar. The perps were two minor illegal immigrants living at an asylum center. The unnamed officer shared a video on Twitter that he apparently believed showed the attack. In reality, the video showed an attack that took place in China. His video post received 21,000 views.
The crime referenced was something that actually occurred, but the video showed a different crime in another part of the world. Major media outlets do stuff like this all the time.
However, in this case, the officer was charged with a criminal offense and convicted. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison and given a 1,620 Euro fine. Spanish law calls for prison sentences under 24 months to be automatically suspended for first-time offenders. However, the court ordered him to take “anti-racism” classes. He is also banned from having social media accounts.
He can still be sent to prison if he is charged with any other crime during the next fifteen months.
The prosecution had asked for a 24-month sentence so the man would be forced to serve time in prison. They accused the man of being “racist” and stirring up animosity against Moroccan immigrants. Critics say the prosecution was entirely motivated by politics.
Guardia Civil immediately announced that they would launch disciplinary hearings after the conviction.
