Spain's Socialist Govt Smacks Catholic Network

MADRID, July 26, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Spain's socialist government has fined the Intereconomia television network 100,000 euros (130,000 USD) for running a series of advertisements that it claims "attacks the dignity" of homosexuals.

The spots, which are self-promotional advertisements by the group Intereconomia, show scenes of outlandishly and scantily dressed participants in "gay pride" marches making sexually suggestive gestures to the camera and denouncing religious belief. The scenes, which are typical of such “pride” events, are so lewd that Google requires viewers to state that they are at least 18 years of age before showing the YouTube version.

In one of the ads, the images are interposed with a series of questions, including "is this the society that you want?" and whether or not the viewer would like to "support this with public money?" It ends with the question: "Proud? Of what?"

Another shows a series of photographs of homosexual activists followed by photos depicting families and children, and concludes, "One day of gay pride, 364 days of pride for normal, everyday people." The spots reportedly ran 273 times between July 22 and September 17, 2009 on the network.

Following a complaint filed with the Ministry of Industry in January of this year, the ad was deemed unacceptable by the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, a socialist regime that has established homosexual "marriage" in the country and strongly favors the gay political agenda. The fine was announced on June 2.

Political payback?

The Zapatero administration's swipe against Intereconomia may also be political payback against the network, which has been a constant thorn in the side of Spain's socialists.

Intereconomia's promotional ads regularly attack Zapatero and socialism. One ad begins by noting that "socialists have never ceased to kill," after which it shows a series of socialist dictators, including Stalin, Hitler, and Mao Tse Tung, and the corresponding death toll associated with each one. It then displays the face of Prime Minister Zapatero and says "Spanish Socialism, 100,000 deaths per year - before birth."

Read it all here.