SPAIN: Satirical magazine cartoonists in court after Spain's royal sex cartoon banned

Authors of a cartoon removed from newspaper stands for depicting the heir to the throne having sex on its front cover testify before Spain's highest court. The cartoonists say they didn't intend damage or offence, but to express an opinion. In the streets of Madrid, people have mixed reactions. The two cartoonists responsible for the controversial drawing removed for 'insulting the royal family' were called to declare before Spain National Court court on Wednesday (July 25) in Madrid. Acting on a complaint from the state prosecution office, Judge Juan del Olmo told police last Friday (July 20) to collect copies of the satirical publication El Jueves and ordered the magazine to identify the authors of a cartoon showing Crown Prince Felipe having sex with his wife, Letizia. In the cartoon, Felipe is talking about the Spanish government's decision to pay 2,500 euros to the parents of every child born in the country in order to increase the birth rate. "Just imagine if you end up pregnant," Felipe says. "This will be the closest thing to work I've ever done in my life." Guillermo, the cartoonist and Manel Fontdevila, the scriptwriter, told reporters after the hearing that they chose to depict the royal couple to critized the government's decision because they are public figures. The cartoonists said that they are no heroes and that unless the judge so decides by ruling against the magazine, they don't see the need to fight for freedom of expression. "I'm not fighting for freedom of expression -I'm using it. A fight as such, I don't think there's a fight. Now it's up to the judge to decide whether we need to put up a fight for it," said Manel. "If drawing the Royal Family was to cost me my life I wouldn't do it because I'm no hero. I mean, if that cartoon could put my life or my family at risk then I wouldn't do it. If I do it is because the consequence is just that I'm called to declare in court. I'm not offending anyone, that's not my intention. It'd be a stupid thing to offend Mohammad, God, anyone - we are not offending we are simply expressing an opinion, the problem is that it bothers some people," said Guillermo distinguishing between their case and the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten that published 12 cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad which were later reprinted elsewhere and provoked outrage among Muslims in 2005. Under Spanish law, those found guilty of insulting the royal family face up to two years in prison. On Wednesday (July 25), El Jueves new edition carried on their front page a drawing of Crown Prince Felipe depicted as a flying bee about to rest upon Princess Letizia, depicted as a flower. Over the cartoon, a big headline reads: "We Rectify! This is the front page we meant to print!" In the streets of Madrid, some pour scorn at the judge's decision to pull the satirical magazine. "That should be taken as what it is, a joke - a good or bad taste joke, but a joke nonetheless, nothing really important in any event," Alfonso Moreu said. Newspaper stand vendor Juan doesn't understand the commotion. "We put ourselves at the level of other countries, after all that recent controversy with the Islam cartoons. Why this fuss, because it is the Prince? I mean, doesn't he get up everyday at six in the morning to go to work, like everybody else?", he said. For others the cartoon was crude and in bad taste. "Frankly, I think it's blameworthy. It's a really intimate issue for anyone, let alone for the Prince and the Princess. I think they've definitely crossed the line," said Madrid citizen Pilar. Media tend to steer clear of reporting anything more than the royal family's official engagements -- a world apart from Britain where any royal pecadillo is pounced on by the press -- but last week most outlets rallied against the ban. All the papers agreed that pulling the royal cartoon only served to draw attention to it and spread it around many more people than El Jueves' usual 80,000 readers.

ITN Source | July 26, 2007

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