Spanish Judge bans Catalan Ad

[Dixie]

A judge ordered the suspension of a TV advertisement for a match involving the Catalonia regional team because it could encourage children to discriminate against each other.

The commercial — promoting Sunday's game against the Basque region — began airing in Catalonia last week and showed children picking teams for a soccer game.

One boy, dressed in a red jersey symbolizing the Spanish national team, refuses to let a boy wearing the Catalonian team's shirt play — unless he removes his jersey. The boy takes off his shirt and other children then remove theirs in solidarity.

The slogan, "a country, a team," then flashes on screen.

The Barcelona judge ordered the suspension Thursday. She said the case was urgent because the advertisement features and appeals to children.

"The harm and prejudice that it could cause is evident," Maria Jose Mosene Garcia said. "It would be difficult to repair the effect it had on viewers."

There will be a hearing Monday.

A new left-leaning party called Ciutadans (Citizens) asked broadcasting regulators to cancel the commercial this week, but the request was refused. The party went to court and won the suspension.

Catalonia is a wealthy and powerful region fiercely proud of its language and culture and most political parties supported a new charter granting the region new powers in June.

Games between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are sometimes seen as showdowns between Catalonia and the city symbolizing Spain's central government.

Several of Spain's regions have their own teams, which draw professional players from topflight squads for games among themselves or in exhibitions.

Catalonia has failed in an attempt to have its regional team compete in international tournaments as if it represented a country.

In a press release, the Ciutadans party said it was satisfied with the judge's decision on the ad and criticized the broadcast regulators for "bowing to political pressure."

The Catalan regional team asked Catalonians to show up at Sunday's game en masse to protest the judge's decision.

A third group, calling itself Right to Decide, urged fans to endorse the commercial by removing their shirts when players enter the stadium.

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[Dixie]

The advertisement

[Danyet]

I don't get it!

[Dixie]

The Spanish government doesn't want us to have our own national team (just like Scotland, to mention an example). Now we made that commercial, which portrays the hard reality, and they have banned it.

[Danyet]

I don't see how the government can ban this team. Anyone should be able to begin a team.

[Dixie]

There you go! Unfortunately, fascism still exists in Spain, as hard as they try to hide it.

[Alfabeto]

This is absurd. Fascism does not exist in Spain now nor has it been significant in the past. Unless by "fascism" you mean "opinions I disagree with", in which case anyone can be a fascist. Catalonia does not have a national football team because the nation, at least in the political sense of the word, is Spain, not Catalonia,El Maresme,or La Alpujarra. Do not confuse ethnic nations with political nations.
If anyone is being persecuted in Catalonia nowadays it is the people who want their kids to be educated in Spanish.

[Rui]

well dixie, you know that i agree with you in the most part of the subjects, although i dont see the reason for so much hate against spain, a strong and developed society with conditions to offer a medium high quality of life to everybody, spain has everything to be one of the super powers in a few years.

[Dixie]

This is absurd. Fascism does not exist in Spain now nor has it been significant in the past. Unless by "fascism" you mean "opinions I disagree with", in which case anyone can be a fascist. Catalonia does not have a national football team because the nation, at least in the political sense of the word, is Spain, not Catalonia,El Maresme,or La Alpujarra. Do not confuse ethnic nations with political nations.

I see you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. You should have been raised in Catalunya, País Valencià or Illes Balears to understand what we mean.

And I also see that you have no idea what the term nation means. Please look it up and get some info before you bark up the wrong tree. State and nation do not mean the same.

If anyone is being persecuted in Catalonia nowadays it is the people who want their kids to be educated in Spanish.

Again, you showed me you have no idea what life in Catalonia is like. Whoever wants their kids to be raised in Spanish can bring them to whichever school in Spain. But no, they are not only against our language (which by the way I must remind you how prosecuted it has been since 1714 - maybe you should read History books too), they want it to disappear and they dare say that Spanish is prosecuted in Catalunya. That's outragerous! I don't think you need any examples because you know perfectly what I mean. But if you need any, just feel free to ask.

Here's the first one, in case you're interested (which would say a lot about you):

Decret de Nova Planta

[Dixie]

well dixie, you know that i agree with you in the most part of the subjects, although i dont see the reason for so much hate against spain, a strong and developed society with conditions to offer a medium high quality of life to everybody, spain has everything to be one of the super powers in a few years.

Rui honey have you even read my previous posts? So complaining about an injustice is to show hatred towards Spain? I see you don't know me at all.