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Putting discrimination in context
Pablo Iglesias Turrión
Secretary General of the Podemos Political Party
1. Does racial or ethnic discrimination exist in Spain?
The power and wealth of the political caste and the
oligarchy in Spain has historically supported itself on
the systematic exclusion and discrimination of so-
cial groups who have suffered violation of their most
fundamental rights for decades. The internal divisions
among those of us who live and suffer in this coun-
try have always been fostered by the political caste to
prevent us from organising ourselves and questioning
power and the people wielding it. They want us to be in
conflict: natives against immigrants, non-Roma against
Roma, etc. but they are gradually realising that we are
united and no longer deceived by their ploys. While it
is true that the situation of the Roma population has
improved over the last 30 years, the economic “cri-
sis” of recent years has hit them harder than other less
disadvantaged social groups putting them back prac-
tically where they started. For these reasons I believe
that ethnic discrimination is still alive in Spain and the
measures implemented by the Government during the
economic crisis are contributing to its increase at insti-
tutional and interpersonal level.
2. What are your concerns in the sphere of social rejec-
tion of the Roma community in Spain?
Our concern over the social rejection of the Roma
population revolves around several aspects. As I al-
ready mentioned, the way the crisis has hit them and
the measures adopted by the governing party have
affected the Roma population, allowing discrimina-
tion and prejudices to flourish stronger than ever and
keeping the real culprits responsible for the crisis from
being discovered. Many Roma families have been evict-
ed from their homes, most of them with children; aid
requirements have become increasingly stricter and
ordinances controlling mobile trading, scrap metal col-
lection, etc. have become tougher. The issue of early
school leaving and academic failure, already targeted as
a problem before the crisis, should be a priority in com-
bating discrimination against the Roma population. Early
school leaving rates among Roma adolescents are in the
vicinity of 64%, i.e. 30 points higher than the national
average, not only endangering their present but also
putting the entire society’s future at risk. Concerning
the world of work, we are especially concerned about
the high unemployment rates among the Roma popu-
lation and the discrimination they face in selection pro-
cesses reported by a number of different civil society
groups. Employment is a key instrument guaranteeing
a dignified life for individuals and their families and also
contributes to social inclusion and equality with the
rest of society. Lastly, in an attempt to be brief, we are
particularly concerned about the violation of the rights
of non-Spanish Roma (especially from Eastern Europe)
who in many cases are experiencing extreme poverty.
A large percentage of these people do not have hous-
ing, their right to health-care has been violated and it is
virtually impossible for them to find employment due
to the social rejection they are subject to. All of these
factors limit them to street begging in many cases and
living conditions that are inconceivable in a European
country.
3. How can a political leader contribute to promoting
equality?
In Podemos, our commitment to equal rights for all citi-
zens is in our DNA and we are also aware that this means
paying special attention to the most vulnerable sectors
of society. To do that we believe that the best solution
is to work alongside civil society organisations like this
one to put together proposals that enable us to deliver
that equality, in the belief that it is not achieved with
political will alone but also with strategically designed
and well managed hard work. We know that in recent
years the best results have been achieved thanks to
universal policies aimed at improving living standards
and targeting the entire population (housing, education,
health-care, employment, etc.) combined with other
more specific policies designed to empower the Roma
population. In addition to implementing appropriate pol-
icies with adequate funding, Podemos aims to achieve
equality through the public interventions of its spokes-
persons and practices in the daily work of the organisa-
tion. As is common knowledge, all of the participants in
Podemos must sign an Ethical Principles contract which
explicitly prohibits any type of action against human
rights or that discriminates against people based on
gender ethnic origin, religion, nationality, etc.
4. If Parliament were a true reflection of social plurality,
there should be 7 Roma Members of Parliament and
5 Senators, without even mentioning the lack of re-
presentation in regional and local government. What
steps need to be taken to address this lack of de-
mocratic representation?
The aim of the initiatives designed to empower the
Roma population is their full and effective participation
in all aspects of society, and that includes politics. Many
social groups are under-represented in elected bodies
and this must gradually change. To that end, in addition
to empowerment, awareness-raising initiatives are im-
portant insofar as they favour a rich exchange of ideas
between the Roma community and the rest of society.
But maybe the most important thing that Podemos can