Catalan teachers singled out after hate speech accusations

Nine teachers in Catalonia are being singled out following accusations of hate speech and the subsequent disclosure of their identities. The educators, working at a high school in Sant Andreu de la Barca, a small town in the surroundings of Barcelona, are accused of allegedly criticizing Spanish police officers during a class on October 2, a day after police cracked down on voters to stop a referendum on independence. Students included the children of police officers, who felt humiliated and went on to press charges against the teachers.

On Wednesday, a judge in Martorell opened an investigation against one of the educators. According to the prosecutor, the accused urged the children of Spanish police officers to raise their hands and said they could not join a strike called by pro-independence groups. Eight teachers are accused of insulting Spanish police in class, but they are not under investigation yet.

The case has caught the attention of politicians across the spectrum, with some calling for disciplinary action against teachers, and others defending them and deeming the case as an attempt to undermine public education in Catalonia.