Twitter User Sentenced for Inciting 'Hell' for Canet Girl

A court in Barcelona has sentenced a man to two years in prison, a fine of 1,980 euros, and 7,500 euros in compensation for crimes against moral integrity and hate, following the harassment of a family from Canet de Mar (Barcelona). The family had sought a court order for their daughter to receive 25% of her classes in Spanish. Three individuals were tried for posting messages on social media, specifically Twitter at the time. Two of them were acquitted, as the court deemed their statements to fall within the bounds of free expression.

The trial took place fifteen days ago. The incidents occurred four years ago in the town of Canet de Mar, Barcelona. A family from the Turo del Drac school won a court ruling for their daughter, then in P5, to receive 25% of her subjects in Spanish. There have long been court rulings supporting families seeking more Spanish language presence in Catalan classrooms. The Canet case became symbolic, as the girl's family was targeted and harassed. The verdict describes a "context of humiliation and harassment towards the family." Parents from the school launched a campaign against the family via WhatsApp and social media, urging them to leave the town. There were calls to isolate the child from her classmates, to bully her, and for the family to endure a "hell."

"Among the messages circulated were expressions threatening harm or retaliation against the family for the complainants' actions, or urging others to isolate them or their daughter. These messages were evidently capable of causing deep anxiety and fear in the recipients," the judicial ruling states. Not everything that might be considered unacceptable in discourse and expression terms is criminally relevant, according to the verdict, but some actions can be considered "crimes against moral integrity or hate crimes."

The messages from two of the accused, while potentially unfortunate, fall within the limits of freedom of opinion in a public debate, the ruling concludes. In the case of the tweets from the convicted individual, they do not fit within a mere exercise of protected free expression, as they contain repeated calls and requests to locate and publish the family's name and address. They are "intimidating and incite harassment, with the clear intention of imposing an outcome, such as forcing the family to leave, abandon the town for being Spanish-speaking and feeling Spanish, and consequently, stop exercising the right to educate their daughter in a project that respects learning both Spanish and Catalan." It is "hate speech," the ruling concludes.

Some of these tweets stated: "We want to know the name and address where the family lives. They must live a media hell," "We must make life impossible for the family," "It's time to know who the family that filed the complaint is. Names and Surnames. This cannot go unpunished."