Spanish couple on their honeymoon in Singapore have been detained after protesting against the Singaporean owner of the football club they support.
Dani Cuesta posted photographs of himself outside the home of Peter Lim, the billionaire owner of Valencia CF, holding a banner criticising the business magnate.
Mr Cuesta and his partner Mireia Sáez were stopped while trying to leave Singapore airport on Friday and had their passports confiscated, Valencia Mayor María José Catalá told Spanish radio station Onda Cero.
Singapore has some of the world’s strictest laws on public assembly, which includes assemblies even of one person.
The government says these laws are necessary to maintain order and safety.
In 2020, a Singaporean activist who had long campaigned for freedom of speech was arrested for posing with a placard of a smiley face.
Shortly after arriving in Singapore on Thursday, Mr Cuesta posted on X that he would “take some photos with my lovely flag”, which reads “Lim Go Home”.
Mr Lim is deeply unpopular with Valencia fans, who have seen their club’s fortunes decline significantly over the course of his 10-year tenure.
Encouraged by users online, Mr Cuesta posted a series of photos of himself at various tourist spots in Singapore holding the yellow banner.
Another image shows him outside what is believed to be the luxury complex where Mr Lim lives in Singapore.
A video he posted shows Mr Cuesta placing a yellow sticker reading “Lim out”, a common sight in the city of Valencia, on the residence’s gate.
The images quickly went viral among Valencia fans and Mr Cuesta even gave an interview to a Valencia football podcast on Thursday.
He explained that as soon as his wife suggested going to Singapore and Bali, he had a “lightbulb moment” and decided to buy some stickers and a banner.
“We spent all morning going around Singapore, spending money on taxis and putting a stickers on lampposts. I said to her ‘this is something we have to do’,” Mr Cuesta told Tribuna Deportiva.
“Thankfully I have my passport and we’ll be flying to Bali tomorrow,” he added