Farmers face fines for protesting without authorisation, as government confirms they could number 400 in Malaga

So far, the farmers' protests in Spain, which started on Tuesday this week, have resulted in a potential 400 fines being issued by police in Malaga province. That is according to data presented by the central government on Wednesday, which confirmed that the uncommunicated and, therefore, unauthorised mobilisations of farm tractors blocking roads and facilities will have administrative and even criminal consequences.

The deputy delegate of Spain's national government in Malaga, Javier Salas, said in statements SUR that none of the protests that took place were alerted in advance in accordance with the law and, consequently, they did not have authorisation. Salas also confirmed that proposed fines will be based on information collected by National Police officers who monitored the development of the protests. “We will begin to process all the sanctions that will be put in place due to the unauthorised actions. This will generate administrative and criminal sanctions,” Salas said.

Despite the law breaking, Salas pointed out that he understood the farmers’ demands and frustrations. He emphasised that central government “is the one that is doing the most so that farmers can see the effort of their work”.