On March 31, 2026, the Spanish Council of Ministers approved a partial pardon for the "Seis de La Suiza," six CNT activists from Gijón (five women and one man) sentenced to three and a half years in prison for protests against the "La Suiza" pastry shop in Gijón (Asturias) to defend a worker. The case originated in 2016, when a pregnant employee asked the owner for leave due to illness, but the owner refused. His refusal prompted the worker's partner to intervene and a dispute between the latter and the owner, which resulted in the manager filing a complaint for threats and damage to the premises. Following the opening of the trial against her partner, the worker quit her job and contacted union members from the National Confederation of Labour, who had organized a demonstration in 2017 against the owner's refusal to negotiate her dismissal. To defend the worker, the union members demanded the withdrawal of the complaint and financial compensation of EUR6,000 for the worker.
The demonstration continued with protests in front of the premises and other solidarity initiatives spread on social media, prompting the intervention of the Gijón Criminal Court, which deemed the protests to have exceeded legal limits and had led to the closure of the business, despite the fact that the premises had already been put up for sale on a real estate website a year before the demonstration and several sources indicated that the business had already been experiencing financial difficulties before then.
The union members were arrested in 2025, after the Supreme Court upheld their individual sentences of two years in prison for obstruction of justice and a year and a half for coercion, in addition to the payment of approximately EUR150,000 in compensation to the pastry shop owner. The Gijón court, which had convicted them in the first instance, ordered the sentence to be carried out, so the five women and the man were sent to prison on July 10th to serve their sentences. However, on July 18th, they were granted third-degree prison terms, meaning probation.
The conviction of the "Seis de La Suiza" has sparked a large solidarity movement across the country in recent months, called by the CNT. The movement has involved several trade unions and associations, as well as some parties of the institutional left. The CNT reports that in solidarity with its militants, "hundreds of thousands of people filled the streets, supported the resistance funds, highlighted the case, and denounced the injustice." The pardon was granted by the government to recognize and protect, according to its members, the legitimacy of union action, the right to strike, mobilize, and organize workers. However, the CNT stated in a statement that the pardon is not a gesture of generosity on the part of the government, but the direct result of the struggle of recent months and the collective strength of the organized working class. The statement continues, stating that the experience of La Suiza confirms that anarcho-syndicalism, founded on direct action, mutual support, and solidarity, is more useful than ever and that no right is won without a struggle.
Although the government pardon allowed the unionists to avoid prison, they still face financial compensation of approximately EUR150,000 and a criminal record.
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https://www.sicilialibertaria.it/wp-content/uploads/maggio-2026_compressed.pdf
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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