The electoral coalition Frente Amplio has filed a formal complaint with the Ávila Zone Electoral Board (JEZ) against the Hoyocasero City Council (Ávila) for the display on the facade of the town hall of a funeral simulation with the image of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, an action that, in their opinion, constitutes a “serious violation of the principle of political and institutional neutrality” and a possible hate crime.
As explained by the party in a statement, reported by Europa Press, the complaint refers to the placement on the main balcony of the public building, next to the official flags, of a coffin-shaped structure showing the inscription “RIP”, a red cross, and a photograph of the head of the Executive.
Accusation of partisan use of a public building
From Frente Amplio have maintained that the use of public infrastructure “to display macabre iconography against political leaders exceeds the limits of freedom of expression and violates institutional neutrality”.
The coalition has stressed that the action violates, in its opinion, Article 103.1 of the Spanish Constitution, Articles 8.1 and 50.2 of the Organic Law of the General Electoral Regime (LOREG), and the Agreement of the Central Electoral Board (JEC) of December 4, 2017, which explicitly prohibits the display of partisan symbols on public buildings.
Request for immediate removal
The coalition has demanded the “immediate” removal of the funeral simulation and has insisted that institutional spaces “belong to all citizens and cannot be converted into platforms for partisan confrontation or incitement to hatred”.
The complaint is now in the hands of the Ávila Zone Electoral Board, while Frente Amplio maintains that the presence of this structure on the facade of the town hall does not comply with the limits of neutrality that should govern a public building.