Spanish police arrest fugitive rapper at centre of free-speech debate

Pablo Hasél had barricaded himself inside university to avoid prison sentence on charges of glorifying terrorism Riot police have entered a university in the north-eastern Spanish city of Lleida and arrested a rapper who had barricaded himself inside the building to avoid serving a prison sentence for glorifying terrorism and insulting royalty and the police in his lyrics and on social media. In 2018, Pablo Rivadulla, known as Pablo Hasél, was given a two-year jail sentence and a fine of almost €30,000 (£26,000) after Spain’s highest criminal court ruled that his lyrics and comments went beyond the limits of free speech and were instead expressions of “hatred and attacks on honour”. Read full story