A full of racism
The far-right representative even went so far as to say that "they should die at home."
On Monday, September 8, the municipal plenary session of Manacor was held, and the agenda included two very worrying motions: one proposed by the People's Party (PP) to criticize the Spanish government for its immigration policy and the distribution of immigrants arriving by boat; and another by Vox to consult the public on the establishment of a center for unaccompanied minors in the municipality.
The titles of the motions and their presenter already raised all our suspicions. When we were later able to read their content, all the alarm bells were confirmed: two motions with clear racist content would be discussed at the September plenary session. As a show of rejection, half a dozen members of Embat showed up in the Chamber with banners denouncing racism.
Given the brutal attacks in Torre Pacheco in recent months, bathers attacking migrants who arrived by boat on a beach in Granada, and the countless displays of racist hatred on social media, a minimum of responsibility is needed before taking actions that provoke more violence. We know that Vox doesn't bear that responsibility, as they are the ones most responsible for some of the calls to racist violence, but it seems that the PP in Manacor doesn't either.
The only thing that differentiated the speeches of Maria Antònia Sansó and Esteve Sureda were their oratory skills and language, as Vox's motion was read in Spanish. However, the substance and the ideas behind it are exactly the same. The fact that they didn't vote in favor of the motions between them was due to pure partisanship, since Vox maintains that both the PP and the PSOE have the same responsibility for the current migration issue, and the PP cannot accept this. And despite Sansó's last-minute pleas, Vox maintained its abstention, and so did the PP.
And in the face of this clearly racist scenario, it is necessary to combat the lies and hate speech expressed by the PP and Vox and denounce the widespread demagoguery of their arguments:
– There is no data to support that migrants commit more crimes. The majority of those charged and convicted in the Balearic Islands have Spanish nationality.
– Services are not taken away from the elderly to be given to illegal immigrants. Nor are all social services benefits being kept. This, by the way, is a lie that the public services themselves deny.
– Young migrants don't vandalize public spaces and materials, as the Vox spokesperson claims, but rather they are often the ones who use services and extracurricular activities the least because they feel excluded or cannot afford to pay.
– Frontex is not an agency dedicated to saving lives in the Mediterranean, but rather a repressive body against migration that has been denounced by dozens of organizations and NGOs. That is why organizations like Open Arms have dedicated themselves to saving as many lives as they can from the largest mass grave in Europe: the Mediterranean Sea.
We could continue, and we will continue in the future, confronting racist discourse and practices, denouncing lies, and building anti-fascist and anti-racist awareness in our society. As we plan to do this Thursday, September 18th, at 7 p.m. in Plaça Sant Jaume, we'll be presenting 10 proposals for social cohesion, acceptance, and anti-racism. We look forward to seeing you.
