Court orders Cadiz town hall to remove LGBTQ flag in Spain’s Andalucia

CADIZ town hall has been ordered to remove the LGBTQ flag, after the municipal court ruled that only official flags are allowed to fly on government buildings.

The flag was flown alongside those of Spain, Andalucia and Cadiz, in order to show support for LGBTQ rights, as part of Pride month in June.

The Association of Christian lawyers however filed a denuncia against the town hall for raising the rainbow coloured flag.

The court used the argument that ‘the use of an unofficial flag, even if it’s just for a specific occasion, is not permitted outside government buildings.’

The town hall has not yet lowered the flag and told El Pais that it will analyse all possible legal routes before accepting the court order.

Lorena Garron, Councillor for feminist and LGBTQ rights on Cadiz’s city council told El Pais: “These complaints demonstrate that hate speech is still in force. 

“Given this, we cannot remain indifferent and there is nothing left to do but to position ourselves in favour of inclusion, diversity and freedom,” she added.

This comes as residents in a small town in Malaga province have decorated their balconies full of pride flags, as a show of solidarity for the LGBTQ movement, after the town hall was forced to remove the flag from its building.

Villanueva de Algaidas is a small town of around 4,200 inhabitants, 60 kilometres from Malaga city and for the third consecutive year, the rainbow flag was flown in front of the town hall.

For the first time however, a denuncia was filed with the Guardia Civil, citing the argument that only official flags are permitted to fly on government buildings.

Nothing stopped residents from hanging flags from their balconies however, which is exactly what happened, with the help of the local sex shop that distributed more than 350 LGBTQ flags.