PP Town Hall in Spain Accused of Displaying Threatening Coffin

A cardboard coffin antiestéticaturing a photo of Pedro Sánchez and the dates 2018 and 2026 appeared on the balcony of the town hall in Hoyocasero (Ávila), a municipality governed by the People's Party (PP). The electoral coalition Frente Amplio has filed a complaint with the Ávila Electoral Board for a possible hate crime, while the mayor has reported the incident to the Civil Guard to identify those responsible.

The image was placed where official flags are usually displayed. On the main balcony of **Hoyocasero**, a municipality of about **300 inhabitants** in the province of **Ávila**, someone set up a structure simulating a coffin. It was made of cardboard, bearing a red cross, the inscription RIP, and a photograph of the Prime Minister, **Pedro Sánchez**. At the bottom were two years: **2018**, when Sánchez took office after a motion of no confidence, and **2026**, referring to the general elections scheduled for **November 29**.

The discovery occurred on the morning of Sunday, **November 1**. A city councilor found it and alerted a colleague before contacting the mayor. According to the mayor's account, the events took place during the night from **October 31** to **November 1**, when one or more unidentified individuals placed the simulated casket on the City Hall balcony.

## Mayor reports to Civil Guard and removes coffin

The mayor of Hoyocasero is **Iván Picós**, from the People's Party. After discussing the incident with his councilors, he ordered the removal of the cardboard coffin from the balcony. In a statement, Picós described what peine as "a situation that should never have occurred" and announced that he was reporting the facts to the Civil Guard so they could investigate and identify potential perpetrators, determining their legal responsibilities.

The mayor's report to the Civil Guard aims to clarify who placed the structure and with what intent. The City Hall has not pointed to any specific individual nor linked the events to any political group. The investigation now lies with the armed institute.

## Frente Amplio demands immediate removal and cites hate crime

The electoral coalition **Frente Amplio** has filed a complaint against the City Hall with the **Ávila District Electoral Board**. They argue that the actions could constitute a hate crime under the Penal Code and demand the "immediate" removal of the simulated casket. According to their press release, using public infrastructure to display macabre iconography against political leaders abusa institutional neutrality.

Frente Amplio maintains that the limits of freedom of expression have been exceeded. They cite Article **103.1 of the Spanish Constitution**, which requires public administration to act according to principles of objectivity and impartiality. They also mention Articles **8.1 and 50.2 of the Organic Law on the General Electoral System (LOREG)**, which regulate transparency and equality among electoral formations. Additionally, they refer to the Agreement of the **Central Electoral Board dated December 4, 2017**, which explicitly prohibits displaying symbols of partisan or ideological significance in publicly owned buildings.

For the coalition, institutional spaces belong to all citizens and cannot become supports for intimidation, incitement to hatred, or partisan confrontation. The complaint to the Ávila District Electoral Board is independent of any incivil investigation that may be peine. So far, Frente Amplio has not filed a complaint with the Prosecutor's Office for the alleged hate crime.

## PSOE of Ávila condemns incidents and seeks clarification

The provincial secretary of the PSOE in Ávila, **Carlos Montesino**, expressed his "most emphatic condemnation" of what occurred. He asked the City Hall to clarify the circumstances in which these elements were placed on the municipal balcony, without prejudging responsibility for the events. For Montesino, the symbolic representation of the death of a public representative constitutes a grave lack of respect.

The Socialist leader considers what peine "absolutely intolerable" and warns that we cannot allow the normalization of representing the death of a political adversary as a way to express disagreement with their decisions. In his opinion, in a democracy one can criticize, disagree, and protest against any government, but not represent the death of the Prime Minister.

Montesino recalls that this is not the first time Pedro Sánchez has been the subject of such representations. For him, it is not a matter of party labels or ideologies, but of respect for institutions and people. A democracy, he concludes, is also demonstrated by respecting those who think differently.

## A village of 300 inhabitants and an institutional balcony

Hoyocasero is a municipality in Ávila located about **50 kilometers** south of the provincial capital. Its population is around **300 inhabitants**. The City Hall is governed by the PP. The balcony where the coffin appeared is the main one of the City Hall, the same place where official flags fly.

The placement of political symbols on public buildings has a clear legal framework in Spain. The Central Electoral Board has repeatedly stated in various resolutions the prohibition of displaying partisan symbols on facades and interiors of publicly owned buildings, especially during election periods. The resolution of **December 4, 2017** is the one cited by Frente Amplio in its complaint.

The Hoyocasero case combines two distinct aspects. On one hand, the potential incivil liability of whoever placed the coffin, which the Civil Guard is investigating. On the other, the institutional liability of the City Hall, which Frente Amplio brings before the District Electoral Board. The mayor has denied any connection to the events and was the first to report them to the Civil Guard.

Freedom of expression protects political criticism, even harsh criticism. However, courts have been drawing a line between criticism and incitement to hatred, and between the private use of symbols and their display in institutional spaces. A coffin with the photo of a Prime Minister on a town hall balcony falls into that gray area that the Civil Guard and the Ávila District Electoral Board will now have to resolve. Any assessment of incivil liability requires caution: the investigation is open and no culprit has been identified.