The rapper was jailed for allegedly “glorifying terrorism” in his song lyrics.
Thousands of protestors took to the streets of Barcelona to demand the freedom of Pablo Hasel on Tuesday night.
Hasel faces nine months in prison for “glorifying terrorism” and “slandering the crown and state institutions” in his tweets and song lyrics.
The popular rapper is known for his extreme left wing views.
He was convicted over lyrics and tweets that included references to the Basque separatist paramilitary group ETA, while he also compared Spanish judges to Nazis and called former king of Spain Juan Carlos a “mafia boss”.
Hasel was led away by police on Tuesday after refusing to hand himself in, shouting “they will never silence us; death to the fascist state”.
Protestors who called for his freedom clashed with police in Barcelona, with rubbish bins set on fire and chants of “Free Pablo” to be heard.
Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo has since said that jailing people over matters of freedom of speech should not happen in a democracy like Spain.
Thousands of protesters took over streets in Barcelona to demand the release of rapper Pablo Hasel arrested by Spanish police https://t.co/B0VQY49ld6 pic.twitter.com/5oA7RBU4Hk
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 17, 2021
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