Joshua Parfitt
THE Ministry of the Interior has yesterday quashed a fine against a man for going to buy Nocilla – a chocolate-hazelnut spread similar to Nutella.
Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska announced the reversal in response to reporters’ questions about Guardia Civil denouncing anyone caught shopping for non-essential products such as ‘Nocilla and beer’ during Spain’s coronavirus lockdown.
Beer had recently seen a massive 78% rise in sales in the first week after Pedro Sanchez announced the state of alarm on March 14.
Police have also been seeing ‘punching’ a young man carrying beer on a street in Spain. “A beer is not a primary need, stop taking the piss,” an officer was heard saying in a viral video (see below).
Grande-Marlaska directed his rebuttal at Alicante’s Comandancia de la Guardia Civil – agents in Elche made the Nocilla fine (ABC’s report), agents in Javea created a list of purchasable products (Las Provincias’ report).
The list included a list of 26 foodstuffs, 16 non-comestible products and 12 services that justified someone leaving the house.
Grande-Marlaska said police forces across the nation must stop using any such list ‘as soon as possible’.
He conceded his Ministry had urged regional authorities to apply the state of alarm rules more strictly – in particular to stop residents travelling to second homes on the coast – but that citizens’ rights must be upheld.
“Within these demands, if we spot something is not correct, we will take the necessary measures as soon as possible,” he added.
