A Spanish High Court has ruled that “the exhibition of the rainbow flag violates the principle of ideological or political neutrality” and directed Government buildings to stop displaying it.

In 2020, the Spanish Supreme Court had banned non-official flags from official buildings and public spaces. However, in defiance of that ruling, LGBT flags were hung from public institution buildings in Valladolid in 2021 to mark Pride celebrations.

A Spanish Foundation of Christian Lawyers brought a case against the move and last week the Superior Court of Justice of Castilla y León said that “the rainbow flag is a symbol with sufficient ideological weight or significance that transcends the merely social, penetrating the political .”

“And so, the ideological burden of the banner cannot be denied , proceeding with its withdrawal,” it ruled.

“It cannot be denied that the current political parties, some moderately in favor, others actively in favor, others moderately against and others actively against” what was raised in the debates on the LGBT issue “denotes the non-political neutrality of the debate, for what the exhibition of the collective symbol violates the required neutrality”.