Spanish Mayor Faces Backlash for Racist Comments About Moroccan Immigrants

During Tuesday’s show, the presenter asked the mayor if he regretted this post. "No. I cannot put the immigration issue aside," Albiol replied, asserting that Moroccans are criminals, due to their nationality and the way they dress. How does he recognize a Moroccan just by looking at him?, Risto asked him. "By the language (Arabic). In Badalona, I have a large Moroccan community. I can differentiate languages even if I don’t understand them," explained the mayor of Badalona.

According to Albiol, his message deemed racist is only a description of "the reality" of immigration in Spain. These are "prejudices," reacted Risto, who believes that Moroccans in Spain cannot be treated this way solely on the basis of their appearance. "We think it is racism and xenophobia, but I invite you to visit the neighborhoods and cities. Irregular immigration is a ’problem’," Albiol reaffirmed, calling for surveillance of migrants.

"There is no need to propose any surveillance of these people, just go to the border," ironized the presenter, before telling Albiol: "You are trying to link crime to immigration. You missed a tweet and if I were one of your friends, I would tell you to delete it and apologize. It is extremely racist."

"They boarded about ten Moroccan men - all with a bag from an association - aged 25 to 40, all with a phone, almost all with sunglasses, a healthy appearance, some even with a muscular body and taking pictures with the victory sign," the mayor of Madalona had written, adding: "When they arrive in Barcelona, they will be distributed in the surrounding cities, among which I suppose Badalona. What will happen next, with almost absolute certainty, most of us already know. It will end up like in France sooner or later. You’ll see."