Magazine Banned By Spanish Government

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31543, 4 December 1967, Page 13

Magazine Banned By Spanish Government

(N .Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) MADRID, Dec. 3. The Spanish Government has banned publication of the Barcelona intellectual magazine, “Destino,” for two months, and fined it 250,000 pesetas charging that it repeatedly broke Spain’s press regulations.

The measures were announced by the Information and Tourist Minister, Mr Manuel Fraga Iribame, after a meeting of the Cabinet. He said the Government had decided on stem measures against the weekly magazine, since it had broken press regulations seven times, each time involving legal proceedings against

it by the Information Ministry. But “Destino’s” editor, Mr Nestor Lijan, said last night that legal proceedings had only been brought against the magazine five times. On four occasions it was fined under special powers held by the Information Ministry, he said. Most of the magazine's brushes with the Spanish authorities have been caused by its progressive stand on Spanish social, economic, religious and political problems. But the most recent case, involving the confiscation of an edition of the magazine, was understood to have arisen from the alleged publication of a letter criticising the teaching of the Catalan language in Catalonian schools.

The authorities are understood to have regarded this as breaking press regulations by insulting the people of Catalonia.