Spanish police protest against the reform of the gag law

MADRID — Thousands of Spanish police officers took to the streets of Madrid on Saturday, angered by an attempt to scrap a controversial law that bans unauthorized use of police imagery if it puts them at risk.

An estimated 4,000 protesters, along with right-wing politicians, demonstrated in front of the Congress of Deputies, where the proposed reform is being considered.

The bill by left-wing parties concerns a so-called “gag law” passed in 2015 under the previous right-wing government.

Under current law, the unauthorized use of images of police officers that could endanger their safety is a serious offense punishable by fines ranging from 600 to 10,400 euros (between $640 and $11,075).

The protesters argue that the proposed reform could remove protections for police and security forces and endanger public safety.

“If my colleagues are filmed and the videos are manipulated and distorted on social media and go viral, it can prove fatal to their personal lives,” said Miguel Gomez, president of Jusapol, the group that called the rally.

The umbrella organization brings together the unions of the police and the Guardia Civil.

Under the motto “This law puts us all in danger,” the unionists marched with leaders of the right-wing People’s Party, the main opposition party, and the far-right Vox party.

The proposed reform, advocated by allies of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s socialist government, follows a ruling by the Constitutional Court that said requiring permission to use police pictures was “unconstitutional” as it amounted to “prior censorship”.