Spanish police have raised nearly €1 million from fines imposed on thousands of people who did not respect the police.
The country introduced a public security laws last year which limited freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest. The controversial act, dubbed the “gag law”, allows for fines ranging between €100 and €600,000.
Data from the interior ministry showed that fines were imposed on 6,217 people between April 2015 and January of this year for demonstrating “lack of respect to security forces”.
The fines amounted to more than €900,000, according to the information which was obtained through a petition by the newspaper El Diario.
The fines for not respecting an officer averaged €145, according to El Diario, with a minimum of €100.
This was the second most common offence under the new law after possessing drugs in a public place and before disobedience or resistance to authority.
The law also covers such actions as participation in “unauthorised protests”, disrupting public events, using social media to rally people to protest, drinking in public, trying to stop an eviction and not carrying ID.
Snapping photos of officers is banned along with leaving furniture in the street.
International rights organizations including Amnesty International and the International Press Institute have harshly condemned the law for its "dangerous" restrictions.
