There are lots of Africans in Spain but no Jews, don’t let anyone fool you

Overt racism and ethnocentrism are still pervasive in Spain, especially when you compare the country to some of its European neighbors.  The country is still building itself back up since the relatively recent end of Franco’s dictatorship, and is understandably behind the rest of Western Europe in many respects.  It’s common to hear Spaniards young and old —and Spaniards who may otherwise seem quite progressive— complain about the blacks and the Africans and the Latin Americans and the Chinese and the Gypsies and assure you that there are NO Jews in Spain, goddammit.  It’s normal here for police to randomly harass an African or Latin American immigrant, as I’ve talked about in a previous post, demanding their documentation.  (It’s not always misguided, as in certain areas there are large groups of illegal immigrants that do engage in illegal activity, but the way that they get harassed when they are not doing anything suspicious is the kind of thing that sparks lots outrage in the U.S.)

Spain intercepts fishing boat with 229 African migrants on board (The Guardian)

Additionally, here in Madrid there are large numbers of African immigrants, many of whom are illegal.  A normal day downtown finds them lined up on the streets with their sheets spread out to display their various goods, from watches to jewelry to handbags to sunglasses to DVDs and CDs.  Some of these products are fake, others are real and probably stolen, all of the DVDs and CDs appear to be bootlegged.  The salesmen are crafty with their sheets: strings are attached to the corners so that when police are nearby they just pull, and up comes the sheet in the form of a sack, securing all of their goods and allowing them a quick getaway.  They always have a lookout.  I’ve never been able to tell if the lookout communicates by voice or by cell phone, but they are alert and they are fast.  A normal day downtown will also find them running in large packs, usually smiling and laughing, and often with some police officers trailing behind them, eating their dust.  Only once have I ever seen one get caught by a cop, and the moment was fleeting.  The man was slick, and quickly left his bag of goods and slithered out of his jacket and darted off shirtless, leaving the police officer with nothing but a parting gift.  The cop puffed up his chest as he walked away with the goods, but in his smile I couldn’t tell if he was happy with how things went or embarrassed that the man got away from him.  Maybe both.  Passersby examined the jacket on the ground like some sort of specimen in a museum.

The thing is, everyone knows the spots where the salesmen usually are, and if the cops really wanted to arrest all of them they could easily do it.  It almost seems that their job is more to shepherd than to catch.  They just herd them around downtown here and there, looking the other way as long as they don’t stay in the same spot for too long, and occasionally nabbing one to remind us that they’re doing their job.  (Remember that this is just one type of situation in downtown Madrid.  Immigration and illegal immigration are increasing rapidly in Spain, especially Southern Spain.  Problems arise and plenty of people are detained and deported on a regular basis.)

But I’ve noticed something unusual.  For all the dislike and even hostility you find here toward other races and ethnicities, regular Spaniards don’t seem to be bothered by the African salesmen.  I’ve watched black travelers sit down in the Metro and those seated next to them get up and move away.  I’ve heard plenty of derogatory comments from both Spanish youth and perpetually disgruntled senior citizens.  And yet, as far as I’ve ever seen, these men (and they are almost all men; to date I’ve only ever seen one woman, and that was yesterday) are not harassed by passersby and those who do business with them seem to do so cordially.  I’m sure unpleasant exchanges happen, but they mustn’t be too common because I’ve never witnessed it and I’ve never heard stories of them happening.  People watch where they’re walking to make sure they don’t step on the goods.  People try things on and ask how much things cost.  I’ve never seen a Spaniards tattle their location to a cop, although I feel confident that that would be more likely than a lay person choosing to harass them.  I’ve never seen a citizen take the liberty of trying to grab one to hand him over to a police officer.  People get out of their way when they come running from the cops.  There are even times when I’ve been tempted to warn them if a cop’s nearby, although it’s usually not necessary because their lookouts are such acute watchdogs.

Why is this? It can’t be a manners thing because, if you’ve ever been to Spain, you know that Spaniards don’t go out of their way to be polite.  Is it because Spanish racist talk is more fluff than truth?  Is it because they are providing goods that Spaniards want?  If they were just loitering or roaming could we expect Spaniards’ behavior to be different?

I have one other example.  There is another group of immigrants, either Portuguese or Brazilian or both, all black, that stand outside grocery stores asking for donations.  Along with making basically nothing to hand out fliers that immediately get thrown away outside the Metro, it’s probably one of the lousiest jobs there is.  Usually they’re holding an issue of the La Farola (I haven’t found a website for it), a periodical that features articles, reports, and poems by the homeless.  They stand outside the door, repeating their good-day-would-you-donate-some-money mantra, usually not making eye contact, just waiting for someone who’s feeling particularly charitable that day.  The closest supermarket to our apartment has a few regulars that are out there just about all day every day, and I occasionally give them a buck.  Partly because I know they need it and their cause is just and because that job must be really crappy, but also because after a while you start to feel awkward walking past the same guys every single day, knowing they see you stopping at the ATM and buying things, and not giving them any money.  Anyway my point is, out of all the people you could think of, the people I see give to them most frequently are… the grumpy, frequently racist old people!  Why?  Do I just happen to witness the beneficent acts of the non-racist elderly in my neighborhood?  Are they so old that they feel charitable toward anyone less fortunate, regardless of their color or ethnicity?  Maybe they’re blind and they don’t realize whom they’re giving to?  (UPDATE: I’ve found an article from 2006 from someone with a different experience than my own.  Go here.)

Regardless of the reasons, I want to think that it’s a good thing, and things may at least be going in the right direction.  Of course I don’t see the meat of what goes on in the life of an immigrant who sells goods on the street, but there seems to be at least some sort of harmony downtown between them and the cops and the pedestrians.  And if a Spanish child sees their grandparents give money to the men outside the grocery stores, maybe they will be more likely to try to make a difference when they grow up.