Overview
- Echenique was cleared by the Audiencia Provincial de Madrid in a written resolution dated April 13, which Spanish outlets reported on Friday.
- The complaint came from the Catholic advocacy group Abogados Cristianos, which sought one year in prison, a fine, and disqualification from public office.
- His May 10, 2024 post on X linked priests to a higher statistical risk of child sexual abuse than migrants and suggested deporting priests instead of tightening migration policy.
- The court called the post misguided and improper for a public figure, yet found it was a response within a political debate and not intended to stir hatred.
- Judges also noted that priests do not constitute a vulnerable group under hate-crime law, drawing a clearer line in Spain between protected speech and punishable hate speech.