Filling the Sink

On February 16, the Catalan rapper Pablo Hasel was arrested at the University of Lleida after being sentenced to two years and nine months in jail for two cases of glorifying terrorism and insulting the Spanish crown in his tweets and lyrics.

His arrest has led to widespread protests in cities and towns across Catalonia and Spain, with dozens of arrests and injuries following clashes between demonstrators and police.

Cristina Tomàs White and Natacha Maurin join Lorcan Doherty to discuss Hasel's case, a similar one involving the rapper Valtonyc, and the debate around the boundaries of freedom of expression and Spain's controversial so-called 'gag law.'

In the space of a generation the religious landscape of Catalonia has changed utterly. The number of atheists, agnostics and non-religious has skyrocketed as the influence of the Catholic Church has waned since the transition to democracy.

At the same time, Catalonia is becoming more religiously diverse, with migration driving the growth of evangelical congregations and Islam.

Dr Mar Griera, the director of ISOR (Research in Sociology of Religion) at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, explains the reasons behind Catalonia's rapid secularization.

Cristina Tomàs White and Cillian Shields join Lorcan Doherty to discuss Catalonia's current religious makeup and look at some of the Easter traditions that are still going strong.

Exactly twelve months on from the declaration of the state of alarm and first lockdown, a look at what's changed, what's stayed the same and what could happen in the months ahead.

Salvador Macip, a doctor, scientist and writer originally from Catalonia and now based at the University of Leicester gives his view on the vaccine rollout, the new variants, and the easing of measures in Catalonia compared to the UK.

Cillian Shields joins Lorcan Doherty to look at the trends in the current coronavirus figures and discuss the upcoming changes to Covid restrictions from March 15 and at Easter.

Cristina Tomàs White reflects on the social and economic impact of the pandemic.

Cafe culture and eating out are at the heart of the Barcelona lifestyle, but the Catalan capital's bars and restaurants - all 9,000 of them nearly - have had a tough year trying to survive amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Roger Pallarols from the Barcelona Restaurant Association explains why he thinks the measures have been too restrictive and the financial help insufficient.

Alan Ruiz Terol talks to the owners of two of his favorite spots about their struggles – Rafel Jordana of La Bodega d'en Rafel and Mario Pérez Ruiz of 7 Vides bookstore who used to run Pizzes l'Àvia in the Raval neighborhood.

Cristina Tomàs White, Cillian Shields and Lorcan Doherty remember some of the iconic restaurants lost to the pandemic and ask whether the return of tourists to the city will be enough to ease the sector's woes.

Spain's royal family has been rocked in recent years by wave after wave of scandal and controversy. The former king, Juan Carlos I, fled to the United Arab Emirates last August amidst ongoing corruption investigations.

In this episode of Filling the Sink, Swiss journalist Sylvain Besson describes how he broke the story of how Juan Carlos received 100 million dollars from Saudi Arabia and hid them in Switzerland.

Cristina Tomàs White speaks to Albert Calatrava, one of the writers of The King's Armor (L'Armadura del rei), a book that examines how Spain has protected its scandal-ridden monarchy for the past four decades, turning a blind eye to its sins.

Guifré Jordan and Alan Ruiz Terol join Lorcan Doherty to discuss the rise and fall of the monarchy's popularity, the current crises engulfing the crown, and whether there could be a republic in the future.

And with the crown having the lowest approval rating in Catalonia out of any institution – 1.86 out of 10, according to the Center of Opinion Studies (CEO) – Scarlett Reiners asks the people of Barcelona what they think.