A Spanish high court has ruled in favor of a man who was fined for walking naked through the streets of a town in Valencia and later tried to attend a court hearing in the nude. The high court in Valencia said that it had struck down an appeal against a lower court decision to annul the fines handed out to the man for being naked in the streets of Aldaia. Although the court acknowledged that there is a "legal vacuum" in Spanish law regarding public nudity, public nudity has been legal in Spain since 1988.
Alejandro Colomar, a 29-year-old man, was filmed arriving at court wearing only a pair of hiking boots before being ordered to put on more clothes to enter the building. At his trial, he argued that the fines infringed on his right to ideological freedom. Colomar told Reuters that he started stripping off in public in 2020 and has received more support than insults when walking about naked, although he was once threatened with a knife. He stated that the fine "doesn't make any sense" as he was accused of "obscene exhibitionism," which he believes has nothing to do with what he was doing.
While anyone can walk naked down a street in Spain without being arrested, some regions such as Valladolid and Barcelona have introduced their own laws to regulate nudism, especially away from the beach. The Valencia court noted that Aldaia has no law prohibiting nudism. The court ruled that Colomar had "limited himself to remaining or circulating naked at different times in two different streets of Aldaia" and his behavior did not imply an "alteration of citizen security, tranquility or public order."
The ruling by the Valencia high court highlights the need for a clearer legal framework in Spain regarding public nudity. It also underscores the importance of protecting individual rights and freedom of expression, even when it comes to unconventional forms of expression such as public nudity. The decision by the court could serve as a precedent for similar cases in the future and could bring greater clarity to the legal status of public nudity in Spain.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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