Free Republic

Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands announced their withdrawals Thursday from next year’s Eurovision Song Contest after organizers decided that Israel will be allowed to compete. Organizers of the pop music spectacle, which draws millions of viewers globally, met earlier Thursday to discuss Israel’s participation, amid calls for the country to be excluded over the war in Gaza and threats from some members to boycott. An independent United Nations inquiry concluded in September that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and that the country’s top leaders have incited genocide. The Israeli government has maintained it is conducting the...

Updates to the long-awaited project linking Spain and Morocco suggest that the dream of an undersea tunnel across the Strait of Gibraltar is now within technological reach. The German firm Herrenknecht, a global leader in tunnel-boring technology, has completed a feasibility study confirming that the infrastructure, while highly complex, is technically achievable. Commissioned by Spain’s Secegsa (Sociedad Española de Estudios para la Comunicación Fija a través del Estrecho de Gibraltar) under the Ministry of Transport, the report marks a milestone for a project studied for over fifty years. According to Vozpópuli on Wednesday, the Spanish government has had the report...

Spanish priest found guilty of ‘hate crime’ after criticizing Muslim persecution of ChristiansBarcelona priest Fr. Custodio Ballester was found guilty and now faces prison time for warning that ‘Islam does not allow dialogue’ with Christianity.Sentencing for a Spanish priest who this past week was found guilty of making “Islamophobic” comments more than seven years ago has Catholics as well as free speech advocates concerned.In February, Father Custodio Ballester was summoned by a regional court in Spain to respond to charges that he had committed a “hate crime” for calling attention to the unjust treatment Christians receive in Islamic majority countries.Ballester,...

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protests that have rocked the Vuelta a España filled him with “pride” as large demonstrations await the race’s final stage in Madrid. The protests, which have targeted the Israel-Premier Tech team, have disrupted several stages of one of cycling’s three grand tours and cast doubt on whether the 21-day race could be completed. The activism has forced some stages to be shortened and occasionally caused crashes as demonstrators burst onto the course, prompting criticism for threatening rider safety and harming Spain’s image. In his first public comments on the debate, Sanchez...

Spain’s Socialist government has sensationally BANNED the public saying of the Rosary in Madrid ahead of the European Elections. Pedro Sanchez’s government has told the organisers of the daily Rosary in Madrid that they will not be allowed to gather in the city on June 8th of June 9th due to a ‘day of reflection’ and the election day. It comes after already fining its leader thousands for praying in public. Catholics have said that they will defy the order.