News, February 2008

Racist attack on Lewis Hamilton suggests wider problem in society

6th February. The BBC today published an article reflecting on the recent racist abuse hurled verbally at Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton at the Montmeló track in Barcelona. Read the BBC report here! Spain has proclaimed over recent years that it is very open to foreigners and is coping well with integrating them. However, the truth is perhaps a mixed bag going over many centuries.

In the middle ages, Spain was a haven of peace between Christians, Muslims and Jews, as the various Muslim and Christian kingdoms fought each other partly with mercenaries of the other religion and financed by Jewish businessmen. People were not forced to change religion, although strong financial incentives certainly existed. The rulers of Castile were even called the 'Kings of the Three Religions'. The religious thing got serious with the marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, who gained the title 'The Catholic Kings', defeating the last Moorish rulers of the peninsula in 1492 and instituting the Spanish Inquisition. The Jews were thrown out in 1492, the remainder of the Muslims some 120 years later.

From that time until 1869 it was illegal for any Spaniard not to be a Roman catholic, a status which virtually returned under the Franco dictatorship between 1936 and 1975. Thus, with one exception, only in the most recent years have the Spaniards been confronted with foreigners, firstly the tourists, then immigrants from developing lands in search of work. The exception, of course, is the gypsies, who despite their arrival in the 14th century, were not even accorded nationality until the 20th century and continue to be marginalised by 'ordinary' Spaniards.

Another issue is regionalism, strong in Catalonia, for example. Many Catalan people even consider people from the rest of Spain to be 'part Moors', they themselves being the only true Europeans in Spain.

Likewise, if to be a Spaniard means being Roman Catholic, even pure blooded Evangelicals are subject to a level of racism. In Franco's day, but even now, attacks have not been unknown. Many have been called foreigners and told to go home. Some have been stoned. Even today, with religious freedom a legal fact for over 30 years, awkward officials in town halls and the like can be found refusing to award them any rights. Meetings are banned, buildings are closed for summary reasons and every obstacle is sought to prevent members of other religious groups going about their rightful business.

Real black skinned people were a rarity until 20 years ago. Now the tables are turned, as over 4 million migrants have settled in Spain over the past decade. Spain's stunning growth has been supported by the new cheap labour in the construction industry, agriculture and services. But as an economic slow-down looms, many Spaniards particularly fear that harder working and cheaper paid foreigners may force them out of the job market.

Nevertheless,so far we can truly say that Spain has welcomed the newcomers and that most people appreciate the help they are to the economy as well as recalling how only 50 years ago many of their family members had to emigrate to northern Europe in search of work.

Youngsters with little memory and no interest beyond supporting their stars against outsiders, will always exist. Whether the attack is 'racist', 'regionalist', or simply between fan clubs, hooliganism is probably to be accepted as here to stay and in all cases must bet taken seriously, but perhaps not blown out of proportion.