Spain's top court rules Podemos leader's comments on Israel not hate crime

Spain's Supreme Court ruled Monday that comments about Israel by the leader of the left-wing Podemos party are not hate crimes and are protected by freedom of expression.

“The Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court has rejected for processing a complaint filed against lawmaker and former minister Ione Belarra for the crime of hate speech for the statements she made against Israel's ‘apartheid policies' towards Palestine and where she stated that said country was carrying out “a planned genocide,” the court said in a statement.

“The high court highlights in an order that the criticism of the military action that is the subject of the complaint cannot be classified as anti-Semitic or as hate speech simply because it is addressed to the government of Israel and adds that it occurred within the framework of a public and democratic debate, is protected by freedom of expression and cannot be criminally sanctioned,” it said.

According to the court, Belarra's comments on Israel's attacks on Gaza were not aimed at promoting hostility towards Jewish people or inciting hatred or acts of violence against Jews.

Consequently, and according to what was reported by the public prosecutor's office in its report, the court declined to proceed with the complaint by the pro-Israeli Action and Communication on the Middle East organization.