Spanish court rules Jehovah’s Witnesses can be called ‘destructive sect’, half of Spanish households receive more from the State than they pay in taxes, heat to give way to storms, and more news from Spain this Wednesday April 22nd.
Spanish court rules Jehovah’s Witnesses can be called ‘destructive sect’
A Spanish court has ruled that critics of Jehovah’s Witnesses may describe the religious group as a “destructive sect” without risking defamation claims, citing protections for free expression.
Jehovah’s Witnesses, a US-based Christian evangelical movement best known for its door-to-door preaching, has regularly filed lawsuits against those who criticise its practices.
The Provincial Court of Madrid upheld a 2023 ruling in favour of the Spanish Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses Victims (AEVTJ), finding that its public criticism of the group does not unlawfully damage its right to honour or reputation.
The court said describing Jehovah’s Witnesses as a “destructive sect” falls within the scope of protected free speech under Spanish law, even if it is offensive to the religious organisation, according to a ruling dated April 16th seen Tuesday by AFP.
Saying that belonging to Jehovah’s Witnesses “harms health, endangers people’s lives, or creates victims” also falls under freedom of expression, “even if it is unpleasant or hurtful”, the ruling added.
Half of households in Spain receive more from the State than they pay in taxes
According to a new study published by the Foundation for Applied Economic Studies (Fedea), 50.6 percent of households were ‘net beneficiaries’ of public aid in 2023, meaning they received more than they paid out. The other 49.4 percent were ‘net contributors’, who contributed more than they received.
This could have been aid in the form of State pensions, healthcare or education for example, not just unemployment and other benefits.
Households with the lowest incomes benefit the most from this public distribution wealth. Specifically, 83 percent of families in the lowest income bracket (the bottom 20 percent of earners) receive more than they contribute, a figure that decreases as income increases. Within the top 1 percent of earners, only 5 percent receive more in services and benefits than they pay out in taxes.
Advertisement
Spain wants each region to dedicate 40 percent of funds to housing
The Spanish government wants to create a mandate so that each region must allocate at least 40 percent of its share of State funds to building more housing. The State Plan approved this Tuesday April 21st, aims to make approximately €7 billion available to each region by 2030 in order to help solve the ongoing housing crisis.
Of this total budget, the Ministry of Housing has indicated that 40 percent would be dedicated to increasing the housing supply, 30 percent to supporting the rehabilitation of existing buildings, and the remaining 30 percent to direct aid for the groups most affected by the housing crisis, such as young people.
Advertisement
Heat to give way storms in Spain this week
Much of Spain has been experiencing unusually warm weather for this time of year recently, but this could all change towards the end of the week. Meteorologists at Meteored have warned of a series of storms, which are expected to arrive on Thursday April 23rd, mostly affecting the main mountain ranges of the Iberian Peninsula and nearby areas.
By Friday April 24th, however, large areas of Castilla y León, Cantabria, inland Galicia and the Pyrenees could be affected. Extremadura, southern and western Andalusia may also experience turbulent weather fronts such as hail or strong winds. Mud is also expected due to the presence of Saharan dust (calima).
By Saturday, predictions say that storms could intensify and spread, bringing colder temperatures to many of the same areas mentioned above.
With additional reporting from AFP.
