He who changes his head scratches himself

Antoni Riera — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 06:45:29 +0000

Last week, Professor Gabriel Bibiloni, whom we who knew him when we studied Catalan Philology at the University of the Balearic Islands held in high esteem, He was the protagonist of an event which, beyond the annoyance it caused him, the shop assistant who served him and the managers of the establishment where it happened, is a reflection of the humiliating agony and scandalous contempt that we Catalan speakers must live with when we leave our tribal pebble, what is now called "the comfort zone".

Complaint of linguistic discrimination at the Leroy Merlin in Palma: "If you don't speak to me in Spanish, I won't serve you"

ARA Balears — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 09:34:08 +0000

Gabriel Bibiloni, a linguist and retired professor of Catalan Philology at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), has announced on social media that he has filed a complaint with the consumer protection agency Consum following a new case of linguistic discrimination against the use of Catalan. According to the professor, the incident occurred in a Leroy Merlin store in Palma, when a sales assistant told him she couldn't understand him in Catalan and urged him to speak to her in Spanish. "If you don't speak to me in Spanish, I won't help you," the sales assistant told him.

Ara Balears in English - Gabriel Bibiloni

He who changes his head scratches himself

Complaint of linguistic discrimination at the Leroy Merlin in Palma: "If you don't speak to me in Spanish, I won't serve you"