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Weird

Erotic Waffle Shop In Spain Under Fire For Genitalia Nativity Scene

The racy pastry scene in the holiday shop window in the city of Seville is no joking matter in the traditional Catholic country. Now "Josephallus" and family might land this local wafflemaker in court.

Photo of La Vergueria's erotic waffle nativity scene

La Vergueria's very own nativity scene

La Vergueria Sevilla via Instagram

La Vergueria is a small shop located in the heart of old Seville and its specialty is waffles — erotic waffles, to be more precise. Their desserts are shaped either into vaginas (vergofre) or penises (chochofre) and covered in the topping of your choice. Their unusual menu, which gained them some national notoriety and steady LGBTQ+ support, also includes other kind or sexually-referenced sweets, such as boob-shaped lollipops or fruit-flavored ice pop penises for summer.

On normal days, La Vergueria's window is decorated with an assortment of random stuffed genitalia, but as Christmas approached this year, the owner went for a very un-traditional nativity scene with his X-rated products. So now in the store window, passersby see a "Josephallus" and "Vagina Mary" looking over the little holy one.


Needless to say, the off-color biblical adaptation was not appreciated by all. A formal complaint against the shop was filed by the far-right Vox party and the Foundation of Christian Lawyers, reports Spanish daily La Rázon. The applicants consider this nativity scene an offense to religious sentiments, a form of blasphemy, and the lawyers’ association claims the intention was to ridicule traditional figures and consciously hurt believers, as well as exposing children to pornographic images.

Photo of La Vergueria's shop window in Sevilla, Spain

La Vergueria waffle shop in Sevilla

Augusto Gomez Serrano via Facebook

Derision of religious feelings

In Spain, where some 68% of the population identifies as Catholic, joking with faith is risky. In fact, the Penal Code clearly mentions derision of religious “feelings” as a punishable crime in article 525.1: "They will incur the penalty of a fine of eight to twelve months those who, to offend the feelings of the members of a religious confession, make publicly, orally, in writing or through any type of document, derision of their dogmas, beliefs, rites or ceremonies, or vex, also publicly, those who they profess or practice them.”

The possible existence of a criminal offense.

Judging that there was indeed a “possible existence of a criminal offense”, a Seville court has agreed to open preliminary proceedings against the waffle shop. The second complaint, filed by Vox, has also been taken up by the courts.

The shop was also subjected to a popular blasphemy “trial” of sorts on social networks, where many users expressed their outrage towards a “grotesque” representation of the nativity scene, and pointed the finger at the pastry shop’s bad taste. “Is it respectful of the beliefs of many citizens? ” asked a woman on Twitter.

The Christian lawyers’ group, Abogados Cristianos, is confident that the courts will force La Vergueria to withdraw said Bethlehem scene. Interviewed by Antena 3, shop owner Andrea Suárez defended his decoration by saying “Joseph, Mary and Jesus have genitals. And if they procreated Jesus, then they made it the only way we know how, right?”

Well, it seems Suárez may be mixing up the details of the Gospels, though he also expressed his own personal holiday feelings: “I think we should take it all with a little more joy and humor.“

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

Wagner Group 2.0: Why Russia's Mercenary System Is Here To Stay

Many had predicted that the death last month of Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin meant the demise of the mercenary outfit. Yet signs in recent days say the private military outfit is active again in Ukraine, a reminder of the Kremlin's interest in continuing a private fighting formula that has worked all around the world.

Photograph of a Wagner soldier in the city of Artyomovsk, holding a rifle.

Ukraine, Donetsk Region - March 24, 2023: A Wagner Group soldier guards an area in the city of Artyomovsk (Bakhmut).

TASS/ZUMA
Cameron Manley

-Analysis-

“Let’s not forget that there is no Wagner Group anymore,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had declared. “Such an organization, in our eyes, does not exist.”

The August 25 statement from came less than two days after the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the infamous Russian mercenary outfit, as questions swirled about Wagner's fate after its crucial role in the war in Ukraine and other Russian military missions around the world.

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How could an independent military outfit survive after its charismatic founder's death? It seemed highly unlikely that President Vladimir Putin would allow the survival of a group after had launched a short-lived coup attempt in late June that most outside observers believe led to Prigozhin's private airplane being shot down by Russian forces on August 23.

"Wagner is over,” said the Kremlin critic and Russian political commentator Maksim Katz. “The group can’t keep going. There’s the possibility that they could continue in parts or with Defense Ministry contracts, but the group only worked with an unofficial agreement between Putin and Prigozhin.”

Yet barely a month later, and there are already multiple signs that the Wagner phoenix is rising from the ashes.

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