Barcelona city hall bans badges that portray city’s seedier side | World news | The Guardian

The badges they don't want you to buy

The souvenirs on offer in Barcelona’s gift shops range from tasteful reminders of local artists and architects such as Picasso, Gaudí or Miró to tacky, wide-brimmed Mexican sombreros and posters of footballers such as Lionel Messi.

But the latest souvenir is a set of lapel badges and fridge magnets deemed so subversive by the city hall that they have been banned from municipal museum shops.

The badges depict local scenes that are familiar to both city residents and visitors. They show bag-snatchers, prostitutes, street alcohol vendors and, in a reference to the brutality with which recent demonstrations have been treated, the local riot police.

via Barcelona city hall bans badges that portray city’s seedier side | World news | The Guardian.

Compare and contrast with this item from the City Council website and news feed – City Council launches proceedings against the Museu d’Història’s bookshop for selling badges that promote anti-social behaviour – how shocking!

Strange Random Prohibition Quote:

Why don’t they pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting anybody from learning anything? If it works as well as prohibition did, in five years Americans would be the smartest race of people on Earth. – Will Rogers

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