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INSIDE SPAIN

Inside Spain: The racism question and a drop of hope for drought-hit places

In this week's Inside Spain, we look at how racist incidents keep damaging the country's reputation but not enough to change attitudes, and how the heavy Easter rain in Spain has alleviated the drought crisis but not resolved it.

Published: 6 April 2024 12:59 CEST
Updated: 8 April 2024 07:07 CEST
Inside Spain: The racism question and a drop of hope for drought-hit places
Migrants in Spain are three times more likely to be stopped by police than Spaniards. (Photo by JOSEP LAGO / AFP)

The perennial ‘Is Spain racist?’ question reared its ugly head last week, twice. 

It started with a leaked video of two young African men in Madrid’s Lavapiés neighbourhood – who were unarmed and showed no aggression – being hit and pinned to the ground by Spanish police officers. 

Left-wing parties have demanded answers, a demonstration took place to protest against police harassment in this multicultural barrio of the capital, the Interior Ministry has since opened an investigation, and polarisation on social media is rife with allegations that the attack was either unprovoked, that they were carrying drugs or were hostile to the officers before the video was shot.  

And in another chapter of racism in Spanish football, third-division Senegalese goalkeeper Cheikh Sarr was suspended for two matches after receiving a red card for jumping into the stands and confronting a supporter who had repeatedly racially abused him. 

His teammates refused to finish the match, denouncing the “unacceptable racist insults”.

The Spanish football federation (RFEF) acknowledged Sarr was “seriously offended”, but banned him for his reaction and criticised him and his teammates for not reporting the racist chanting earlier in the game when it had first started, as well as awarding the other team a 3-0 forfeit victory.

As expected, this approach by Spain’s chief footballing body, which is currently under investigation for corruption, went down like a tonne of bricks among the international Spanish football commentators, already irked by the racist chants shouted practically every week at Real Madrid’s Vinicius and others. 

Awareness of racism in Spain and its coverage in the press have certainly increased, although much of Spanish society has not yet incorporated political correctness into their daily speech when referring to other races. 

Unfortunately, reported cases of racist and xenophobic hate crimes increased by 18 percent in 2022, according to the last Interior Ministry data. 

But a study last year by the National Research Council found that the vast majority of Spaniards consider racism in the country to be an insignificant problem compared to other issues, ranking it 54 out of 65 in importance. According to Amnesty International, many Spaniards are unaware or in denial over whether there’s racism in the country.

Keeping this in mind, it seems that racist abuse at Spanish football stadiums and leaked videos of police violence against migrants will continue to be given coverage, but it may be some time before we see an actual change in attitudes. 

A problem that worries a higher proportion of Spaniards is the drought affecting large swathes of the country, namely Catalonia and Andalusia. 

The very heavy rain over Easter may have put a damper on the processions, but it’s been a blessing for stored water reserves.   

READ MORE: Will there still be drought restrictions in Spain after all the rain that’s fallen?

Regional and local politicians have felt the pressure to promise that water restrictions in cities such as Barcelona, Málaga, Cádiz or Seville will either be lifted or not implemented during the summer.

There is a general sense of caution, though.

Environmentalists have warned that the drought is far from over and that assuming that a week of rain can solve Spain’s lack of water only reflects how the general public reacts to long-lasting environmental issues. Catalonia’s drought for example has been raging for at least four years.

The Easter downpour certainly brought some respite, but Spain’s fight against drought is a marathon, not a sprint. 

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INSIDE SPAIN

Inside Spain: New tourist taxes and the problem of depopulation

In this week's Inside Spain we look at the situation of tourist taxes and the problem of depopulation in the country.

Published: 14 September 2024 10:54 CEST
Inside Spain: New tourist taxes and the problem of depopulation

So-called overtourism has caused a lot of anger in Spain this year with protests in the Balearic Islands, Canaries, Barcelona and Málaga. While there have been many ideas to try and curb the amount of visitors to the country and benefit more from the ever-increasing  numbers, one of the least popular has been the introduction of tourist taxes. 

Currently, tourist taxes have only been introduced in Spain in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. They were also introduced and then scrapped in the Valencia Community. 

Last week Asturias’ left-wing regional government, formed by the PSOE and IU, announced that it intends to impose a tourist tax on visitors too.

Asturias received a record 2.7 million visitors in 2023 and experts believe it will be even higher in 2024.

It aims to offset the increased costs of running public services in places with more visitors, but crucially it will be up to each individual town hall in Asturias to decide whether to charge tourists the tax or not.

Popular towns in Asturias such as Cudillero, Cangas de Onís and Valdés have already shown interest in introducing the tax, although authorities in the region’s two main cities, Oviedo and Gijón, are against it.

There will also be an increase in tourist taxes in Barcelona. Currently, tourists to the Catalan capital pay two types of taxes – one to the region and one to the city. 

City tax, which is charged for up to seven nights stands at €3.25 per night, but from October 2024, this will go up to €4 per night, which is an increase of €0.75. They will pay this municipal tourist tax regardless of whether they stay in a bed and breakfast, on a cruise ship or in five-star hotel.

On top of this visitors will also have to pay tax on stays in tourist establishments of the Generalitat. This ranges from €1 per person per night for stays in hotels with less than four stars and up to €3.50 per night for 5-star establishments.

This means that from this autumn, tourists to Barcelona will end up pay between €5 and €7.50 per night.

There has been so much talk of overtourism in Spain lately that many forget the other side of the story – the parts of the country that are empty. 

Recently, one of the most underpopulated regions in Spain, Extremadura, made headlines when it said it would pay digital nomads to move there, helping to increase the population and jump-start local economies. 

The rural depopulation of Spain’s ‘interior’ has long been a socioeconomic and demographic problem

According to Spain’s National Institute of Statistics (INE), approximately 22 million Spaniards live in the 100 most populated municipalities in Spain. This means that around half of the total Spanish population is concentrated in four percent of the national territory.

Over the last decade, 6,232 municipalities have seen their population decline. This equals three out of every four municipal areas.

Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Extremadura and Aragón are the parts of Spain where this depopulation is felt the most. Here, many people move away from the countryside and smaller towns in search of employment, better paid jobs and where they can find more opportunities. 

Depopulation affects everything from the lack of banking and healthcare services to local economies and the social fabric of these rural societies. 

In another news story that caught our eye, the Balearic Island of Formentera will be hosting what it calls “the only Zero Wastefestival in the world” from October 4th to 6th. 

While other festivals also claim to sustainable, the SON Estrella Galicia Posidonia event was recently awarded TRUE Zero Waste Platinum certification. Working with local partners, it is open to only 350 people and offers its guests a chance to discover the island through activities and guided walks – committed to a zero waste policy with a focus on reduction and reuse.

The event offers a programme of musical performances, a tasting menu curated by a Michelin Star chef and activities across different parts of the island, which will remain secret until October 4th. Tickets can be bought here.

The festival aims to raise awareness of the protection of Posidonia meadows around the island.

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