So much for democracy and freedom of speech in Spain. Franco lives! Viva los Fascistas!

Kishore, Galena, Illinois

The magazine "El Jueves" is one of the pioneers of humor in Spain. It carries decades satirizing to all and to all. There were terrible times of reproof (already in the democratic epoch) on themes related to the monarchy (was penalized the to say "save the republic", or to exhibit a republican flag (red-yellow-violet) ...) Little by little went opening openings of liberty at the moment of banalizar to the royal household, and already they can be seen in television or radio, in press, caricatures and vignettes you parody, above all of the King.
The vignette in question is coarse, crude, wounds the sensibility, if I was the publisher of that magazine without doubt it would not have published and it replaced by another morally less reprehensible, but the judicial abduction of a publication is a measure that in Europe of the 2007 very few times has been seen. is useless because the vignette already circulates for internet owed al scandal. My solidarity and that of many Spaniards with the magazine "El Jueves".

Gonzalo, Caceres, Spain

Spain is the only and luckyly one Banana Monarchy of the world.

As long as it be the bloody and ridiculous country where cartoons are sized, bulls fighted, political parties banned, and referenda forbidden, it can't be called a democracy. But keep calm, paella and sangria are still cheap enough. Welcome, tourists!

David Gimeno i Ayuso, Barcelona, Catalonia

Spain is the only and luckyly one Banana Monarchy of the world.

As long as it be the bloody and ridiculous country where cartoons are sized, bulls fighted, political parties banned, and referenda forbidden, it can't be called a democracy. But keep calm, paella and sangria are still cheap enough. Welcome, tourists!

David Gimeno i Ayuso, Barcelona, Catalonia

Daviz, what Trenator said is spot on and you know it. Never mind the tourists and whatever. In terms of democracy Spain is more similar to Turkey than to the UK. Spain's democracy is Franco's legacy, deal with it. Spain a liberal country, don't make me laugh: political parties banned, newspapers closed, satirical magazines secuestrated... and on and on.

Spain is a half-baked democracy.

Robert, Barcelona, Catalonia

Carlos, do not forget one important matter. Current political system is Franco’s gift, before his Coup d'Etat followed by Civil war, Spain was a Republic, Franco, him self designed Juan Carlos as his successor.

Jordi, Calella, Catalonia

As Spaniard, I want to say the following:
1) If you don't like the cartoon, just don't buy the magazine!
2) "El Jueves" has published this types of cartoons (many of them of bad-taste, but read again point #1) for 30 years and NEVER happened anything like this before.
3) The FREEDOM OF SPEECH is supposed to be a fundamental right in Spain since dictator Franco's death in 1975, so please, RESPECT it.
4) Now I am sure that there will be more people defending the Republic in Spain, instead of a Monarchy which is for many people a completely useless, anachronistic, and expensive institution.
5) Why judges don't care about real problems instead of making such noise for an "offence to the Crown"?
6) Anyway, all they have done is that EVERYBODY in Spain knows about the magazine and the cartoon.
7) And a personal opinion (I hope not to be prosecuted for this): NO MORE MONARCHY - REPUBLIC FOR SPAIN NOW!
Thank you!

Sergio, Murcia, Future Republic of Spain

Spain is the liberal country but of the world. What Trenator says, as far as Catalonia that announcement please caused hatred by Spain in Catalonia. If you do not know Spain you do not speak. By the way million tourists come knowing you would haran what who on the contrary want that in their countries. To let put to Spain like third mundista because it is not it. My country defends the freedom but the freedom has limits and what it has become he is humiliating for any citizen. (sorry for my english)

Daviz, Móstoles, Madrid

I don't think the cartoon is vulgar. If you don't like, don't buy El Jueves! We had not seen this kind of censorship in Spain since 30 years ago. In any case, what is the real problem? The cartoon showing them having sexual relations? Or having say that they don't work at all?

Pepe, Censura, "Spain 30 years Ago"

All this fuss about a cover???!!!
El Jueves has been mocking the Royals and politicians for ages, and nobody has censored them. Until yesterday.
I thought I lived in a country where censorship had disappeared long time ago, but it seems we're going back to darker times.
I'll never understand why all things royal have to be treated with so much respect. Taboo I think they call it.

Diana, Madrid, Spain

Whe something works, why change it? I don't see the reasons

Carlos, Barcelona, SPAIN

I'm Spanish, but my mother is British, so I know the context quite good. I don't believe that the Republican system is better at all: it's more expenseive, hardly representative and at the end of the day a myth even more dangerous than the Royalty because some people still believ in th Republic. The cartoon is another matter: demagogic but funny.

Carlos, Barcelona, SPAIN

Well, if the National Court had set out with the intention of giving moral ammunition to Islamists, they couldn't have done a better job.

Nice to see out judges aren't the only ones who live on a different planet, though.....

Ian Kemmish, Biggleswade, UK

I'm glad to be Spaniard and glad to live in Spain: probably the most free country right now in the world. In Spain, we all know this action is promoted from public prosecutor's office who only obeys Goverment orders. As you know, the most important challenge of Zapatero goverment has been the surrendering to terrorist band ETA, but this challenge has fail because the people of Spain are not too slept as Zapatero thought. He hoped the King supported his crazy challenge, but King didn't do it, so this fact is a direct hit against Monarchy in revenge for hasen't supported Zapatero and his surrendering to ETA. Simple as that. We all know nobody will go to prison for this cartoon because the Court who judges this will refuse to admit this like a crime. You can be sure about my words. I know Spain and I know what is going on. But Zapatero will get what he wanted: a national and international attack against Spanish Monarchy. (PD: Sorry for my bad English).

Luis Moya, Ibiza, Spain

Is Spain a modern western democracy? I don't think so! This is so similar to what happens in Turkey.

Recently, a judge also banned a TV advert in favour of Catalonia having its own national teams. It seems Spain is going backwards...

The magazine's website apparently has been closed down. Unbelievable.

trenator, Glasgow,

I don't think the cartoon is vulgar.
If you don't like, don't buy El Jueves!

We had not seen this kind of censorship in Spain since 30 years ago.

In any case, what is the real problem? The cartoon showing them having sexual relations? Or having say that they don't work at all?

Pepe, Censura, "Spain 30 years Ago"

Very good cartoon. I think that there's no point of vulgarity on it. Sorry for all shortminded not able to understand the hidden argument. After 30 years of democracy, many spaniards are starting to wonder why continuing to support old Monarchy-based system instead of transform into a Republican State such as France. I agree that the role of current King during early democracy years was very determinant and whole Spain knows it, but now it's time for changing.

P.S: I live in Spain since 1980.

Michael, Vigo-Spain, US born, living in Spain

USA should be ashamed for what is doing in the middle east!

toni, madrid,

Link?

bob, france, parseberg

Miguel, although i don't agree with you by means on the Catalonia-Spain affair, I admit this is not the time to talk about it. Spain is a kingdom, something that most of us nowadays did not vote for, as we did not have the choice. However, even if it is a kingdom, there's freedom of speech and publication.this judge should prosecute poor working conditions, estate irregular deals all over spain, and this constitution ensures the right to have a decent home for every spaniard, which nowadays is not working (needless to say rents or mortgages).law should protect the dignity of all spaniards. well my dignity is damaged as well as i'm paying overated rent. this is not serious.the judicial state should work on really serious matters such as those explained above.this proofs the royal family does not have many things to worry about but a simple magazine that always joked about them.

Jordi, Barcelona, Spain

Please, don't discuss now about the wanted-for-someones independence of Catalonia, as this region has a very extended autonomy within Spain, maybe the highest level of autonomy that any region has from the country which it belongs in any place in the World.
I am sorry but remember that Catalonia is Spain, as most Catalans (about 80% - those who didn't vote the independent party) want it to be like this. Are you a democrat? Then respect the choice of your people.
I would like a Republic for Spain but I must assume that most of Spaniards (maybe 80% or even more) want to keep having a King, so let it be. At least, we live in Democracy. And what happend to the magazine is just one single incident.
I don't think Spanish democracy is half-baked. We live in freedom, do believe me. We are a member state of the EU since 1986, do you really think we could be like Turkey and belong to the EU for 21 years? Be a little serious. Freedom in Spain cannot be under suspect.

Miguel, Valencia, Spain

Just goes to show that what is "acceptable" and what "goes beyond the pale" is highly subjective.
I would venture that most people who rant in favor of "free speech and press" would have a rather different perspective if they themselves were caught with their pants down, or otherwise depicted in a compromising situation.

While I agree with the need to be able to laugh at one's self, few would actually be able to do that when confronted with a loved one's compromised image.

Lastly, people today seem to have fallen out of touch with the origins of 'free speech' when independent opinions were ruthlessly suppressed by inquisitional and totalitarian forces.
There is a significant difference between freedom of independent thought and speech, and crassness.

Marwan, Jeddah,

i'm a catalan boy, and we have enought with the spanish kings.
freedom for catalonia.
catalonia is europe
spain is africa

marc dost, tarragona, catalonia

Most Spaniards are laughing at this issue... actually, I couldn't get the magazine because they're been all sold. The matter is that politicians are on holiday so there is little news these weeks. I am sure this will not go any further.

Alba, Madrid, Spain

Surely this ruling goes against European Human Rights laws? Censorship should be strictly justified and even then should be proportional. Pablo Picasso himself said "The enemy of creativity is good taste". If these people need laws to protect themselves from hurtful jokes, then I don't know what to say.

Simon Taylor, boston, UK

I´m from Spain, and I have read this magazine several times. This magazine is all the time mocking Spanish monarchy, but just because of it they are not acting against it. We have to remember that Batasuna leader, Otegi, was sent to prison because he attacked the King, however, this case is totally different. I think that we are in a moment that satyre can be made without any "danger" for the author, whoever the target may be. I hope this can be solved soon without any more polemic, because Spain is now seen from abroad as a country stuck on the past.

Gloria, Huesca , Spain, Spain

Most people just laught at this subjet. I've been unable to get my magazine because they've been all sold, I think that the point is that politics are on holidays. I really believe that Spaniards are more advanced that our own laws.

Alba, Madrid, Spain

Spain isn't a modern democracy. People from Catalania knows well...

Freedom, Catalonia, Catalonia

I'm sure that many people who is wirting about this subjet doesn't know anything about human rights in Spain and even in their own countries. If there's a law (the Penal Code in this case) it must be respected, if there's an article saying that insulting the Royal family is a crime, cartoonists, journalists,etc... must respect it, if we start by ignoring this article, what would be next?
And to those who say that in Spain we are goign backwards I will like to speak with them about the situation in their countries, I'm sure, that as another spanish said, we are if not the first one of the best countries in the world to live and that's not only for our climate conditions.

olga, Madrid, Spain

Poor taste is poor taste and vulgarity is vulgaqrity no matter who is the subject, or author, or cartoonist. This cartoonist should be ashamed of himself. The publishers should also be ashamed to have published such shameful material.

Pennie, Nampa, Idaho USA