Five abortion protesters were sentenced to a year in prison on Tuesday after they disrupted a Catholic mass in Spain.
Convicted of violating Spain’s religions freedom laws, the five will remind behind bars for 12 months unless a successful appeal is made in their case.
First reported Wednesday, the charges come after the abortion activists made a scene at a Catholic Mass in Palma de Mallorca in 2014, yelling phrases like “free and gratuitous abortion” and “get your Rosaries off our ovaries” during the mass, according to LifeNews.
“Even for the unbelieving in our society, for the profane, the celebration of Masses as a religious act is a perfectly known and recognizable fact,” wrote Spain’s Supreme Court judges in their ruling. “The authentic democratic exercise of respect for freedom is shown when the lawful expression of opinions, beliefs or ideas contrary to those that one has or professes is respected,” the court ruled in 2016, confirming that their display had been a violation of religious freedom, LifeNews reports.
The five abortion activists were convicted of violating Spain’s religious laws in 2016 but appealed to a lower court, positing they did not realize they were violating a religious service.
WATCH:
The Spanish Supreme Court acknowledged that the activists had a right to protest, but that they struck down their own legitimacy by “organizing in such a way that it would be so noticeable by third parties.”
Hundreds of people were at the mass when the protest occurred, according to InfoCatolica.
The abortion activists’ convictions come after a U.S. court recently convicted two priests of trespassing at an abortion clinic for blocking entrances to an abortion clinic during a pro-life activist operation, according to Aleteia. A pro-life woman was also recently arrested and jailed for setting foot on the premises of an Ontario abortion clinic. (RELATED: Pro-Lifer Has To Sit In Jail For Months For Protesting Abortion).
Also WATCH:
The Daily Caller News Foundation is working hard to balance out the biased American media. For as little as $3, you can help us. Freedom of speech isn’t free. Make a one-time donation to support the quality, independent journalism of TheDCNF. We’re not dependent on commercial or political support and we do not accept any government funding.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.