Alex Trelinski
A Costa Blanca police officer has been suspended for 18 months without pay after refusing to wear a mask.
Rafa Navarro, who worked night shifts for the Alicante Policia Local, was reported for repeatedly breaking health safety laws in December.
Alicante City Council launched an inquiry where Navarro faced a punishment of up to a six-year unpaid suspension.
He had taken part in a number of protests last autumn against mask-wearing in the Valencia region.
Navarro regularly took to social media to express his views including his belief that COVID-19 ‘is a hoax’.
He posted a video to confirm his sentence and to encourage people that share his stance ‘not to be afraid’.
Holding the notification in his hand, Navarro said: “This is what separates us from continuing to be a country to being s–t, and for having police officers that continue to follow illegal orders.”
“I am not going to wear something that threatens my health as I know that there is nothing,” he continued.
“They tell me that I am a biological terrorist. This is the penalty for staying alive and healthy. This is what separates us men from cowards.”
