Moroccan Man Denied Shared Housing in Spain Due to Nationality, Sparking Racism Concerns

The Moroccan had found a room to rent in an apartment to share with three roommates, which met his needs. He was very happy to move in, but his disappointment will be great. The day he was supposed to sign the contract and take the keys to the room, he receives a message from one of the roommates asking him to come to the apartment, recounts his colleague Elena Carrasco on Twitter.

Once there, the young woman, with tears in her eyes, informs him that her father had learned that he is a Moroccan and told her "that under no circumstances should she live with a Moor or a gypsy because he had had bad experiences with them." The girl’s father asked her to choose: either she moves out or Saad leaves. The young man was perplexed and speechless. The young woman assured him that she had tried to convince her parents that he "is a nice boy, who dresses well and has a good job."

In this already embarrassing situation, the two other roommates supported the young woman, saying they would not want to separate from their friend. "It was clear that it was me who was leaving and so I let them know. I gave up and asked for my money back," said Saad, powerless and angry after suffering this racist act. Yet this girl is not the owner of the accommodation, he insists, specifying that one of the two roommates was Latino. "Are there first and third class foreigners?" he criticizes.

Saad is still looking for a room in Almeria for around 150 euros, Elena points out in her tweet. "He is an excellent colleague, kind, responsible, cheerful... A 20-year-old boy with the desire to thrive in life," she specified, asking for help to find her Moroccan friend a room "where he will be treated with respect and feel at home."