Incitement to hatred' on social media lands Gandia man in custody

A Twitter-user from Gandia has been arrested for 'hate speech' and 'incitement to violence' after two years of posting personal attacks on politicians and the royal family were unearthed. The accused, 59, is said to have authored around 36 posts since 2018 which had a 'clearly discriminatory message' that sought to stir up attitudes of hatred and praised violent acts against public figureheads - specifically the royals – King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and their daughters Leonor, 14 and Sofía, 13, among others were named personally and individually.

Details of the messages have not been revealed, but it is said to be more than simply retweeting or forwarding jokes or memes.

He is also thought to have published these messages on Facebook, with a public setting so that anyone could read them.

Guardia Civil officers said the content was 'serious enough' to warrant his arrest.

The posts were traced to a Spanish national living in the La Safor district capital.