Spain's Socialists sue far-right leader for 'hate speech'

In its legal complaint, a copy of which was seen by AFP, Sánchez's party accused Vox leader Santiago Abascal of "inciting hatred and even violence" for remarks in a weekend interview with Argentina's Clarín newspaper.

In the article, Abascal denounced Sánchez as having "no scruples and no principles" and said there would come a time when "the Spanish people would want to string him up by the feet".

His remarks prompted a furious backlash from Sánchez and his ministers.

The lawsuit accuses Abascal of "incitement to hatred" saying his words had "a clear allusion to the 1945 execution of Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini," who after being shot, was "insulted and physically abused by an angry mob who then hung him upside down" by the feet.

"Not only does (this expression) identify the democratically-elected prime minister with a dictator, but also uses the Benito Mussolini simile to justify the fact that a time will come when people will want to use violence against him," it said.

The corpse of Mussolini (second from left) alongside other executed Italian fascists in Piazzale Loreto, Milan, 1945. Photo: Public Domain/Wikipedia

 

Abascal's words constituted "incitement to hatred" towards Sánchez and his Socialist party and could also be considered as "slander or libel", it said.

In the interview, Abascal attacked Sánchez for pushing through an amnesty law for Catalan separatists in return for their supporting his return to power last month.

The bill has been furiously opposed by Vox and the right-wing opposition because it will pardon exiled Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont who led a failed independence bid in 2017 that sparked Spain's worst political crisis in decades.

Puigdemont is seen by many on the right as public enemy number one, with the bill bringing thousands of protesters onto the streets in recent weeks who have jeered Sánchez as a "dictator" in rallies that have at times turned violent.

Sánchez on Monday lashed out at Abascal, saying his remarks were "an attempt to turn.. Spain into a place where hate speech and confrontation reigns".