Fiona Govan
POLICE have issued dozens of fines to a group of naked hippies who have gathered from across Europe to set up camp in a remote valley in northern Spain this week.
The group have come together for a Rainbow Gathering, an annual festival held in a different place each year where people shed their clothes, show each other unconditional love and promote a life free of consumerism.
This year the community has chosen a remote corner of the Portilla valley in the Sierra de la Demanda, some 70km from Logroño in a forested area near the village of Viniegra de Abajo in La Rioja region.
Around 200 people of all ages have set up tents, held bonfires and according to local media “practised sex outdoors”.
But police have moved in on the camp and issued fines for illegal camping, making campfires, and driving and parking in areas where vehicles are prohibited.
The group have also fallen foul of Covid-19 restrictions by not observing social distancing rules, failing to wear facemasks and gathering in oversize groups of people who do not live together.
Police said they have issued 76 fines for infractions and informed social services because of the presence of children who were not in school.
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