Vinicius Incident Ignites Renewed Debate on Racism in Spanish Society

Racism is rampant in Spain on a daily basis, in all its forms. Many foreigners suffer from discrimination because of their origin and ethnicity. On Tuesday, the Spanish justice system condemned the owner of a restaurant for having fired Pedro Hernández, a 50-year-old waiter, after learning that he was Gypsy. Discrimination also affects migrants. Adil, of Moroccan origin, is a victim of this. Although he works and has the means, he cannot find housing because of his origin.

Rosalind Williams, an African-American of Spanish nationality, was the victim of racial discrimination by the police in a train station in 2009. She filed a complaint in the Spanish courts and eventually obtained a conviction of Spain by the United Nations Human Rights Committee. For Rosalind, racism in Spain is structural. "There is a kind of latent racism in Spaniards. They don’t realize they’re racist, but they are," she told Cadena SER, regretting not having received the public apologies from the Spanish government required by the UN in its decision.

"Racism marks the daily life of people of color in Spain," is the title of an op-ed by Cuban journalist Abraham Jiménez published on Tuesday in El País. Residing in Spain for more than a year, the journalist claims to have already suffered 182 cases of racism. In the metro, several people protect their backpack when they see him enter, he recounts, delighted that the Vinicius Jr. case has brought the issue back to the table. The number of cases of racism in Spain has increased from 376 in 2013 to 1,570 in 2022, according to Estrella Galán, secretary general of CEAR, the Spanish Commission for Refugee Assistance.