The Santas Pascuas Festival, which celebrates its tenth edition in Pamplona until next January 5, 2025, responded to the request sent by the Spanish Foundation of Christian Lawyers, which requested the withdrawal of the poster announcing the event because it was considered offensive to … religious feelings.
The foundation filed its complaint by burofax in which it maintains that the image constitutes a mockery of the Virgin Mary by incorporating contemporary elements like sunglasses, which he says represents an unnecessary “rude and insulting” expression for promoting the festival. It is for this reason that he demanded the immediate removal of the poster or its replacement with another without religious reference.
In its response, the SantasPascuas organization defends that the poster It is a “contemporary artistic reinterpretation recognizable cultural references, made from current aesthetic criteria linked to the musical field.
As he explains, the figures represented correspond to Navarrese artists and musicians participating in the festival, which reinforces the contextual, artistic and non-religious character of the composition. Furthermore, they emphasize that “in no case can it be reasonably asserted that the image is intended to mock, deride or denigrate symbols religious, nor which incorporates expressions that are objectively offensive, vexatious or insulting towards the Catholic religion or towards those who profess it.
The festival admits that the poster may have bothered some people, but emphasizes that this subjective perception does not imply a violation of the law and does not justify, in its opinion, the limitation of fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and artistic creation. SO, SantasPascuas confirms that it will maintain the promotional image.
Furthermore, the organization denounces that, “coinciding with the request of this Foundation”, they have acts of vandalism took place against them. “Coincident with this Foundation’s request, for days we have been suffering a campaign of attacks that includes tear down and vandalize various advertising elements of the festival located on the public highway”, they lamented.
SantasPascuas concludes by reiterating his desire for dialogue based on mutual respect and his commitment to a plural and critical culture, framing the controversy within a debate on the limits between religious sensitivity and creative freedom.
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