The rise of fascism in Spain – the organization for world peace

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On Saturday, September 18, around 200 neo-Nazis took to the streets of Madrid’s historically gay neighborhood of Chueca to harass the homosexuals who live there. Supposedly organized to protest against the sustainable development plans recently published in Spain, the Agendas 2030/2050, the “demonstration” quickly degenerated into homophobic and racist attacks, provoking the hostility of the inhabitants of the district, and culminated in the arrest of a protester who allegedly attacked another protester during the march. The openness of displayed fascist rhetoric has been consistent with a rise in right-wing extremism and homophobia in Spain, a country which, until 2019, was considered to be completely anti-fascist in nature.

Homophobia in Spain has increased in recent years. According to El Paìs, one of the main Spanish news sites, hate crimes have reached an all-time high in Spain, because “in the first six months of 2021, the national police and the civil guard received 610 reports for hate crimes, which is 9.3% more than in the same period in 2019. ”This is largely due to the rise of right-wing extremism in Spain, notably in the form of the right-wing populist political party Vox, which came to power in the Andalusian elections of 2018. They hold 52 seats in parliament, leading an anti-immigration campaign, “traditional values” and an armed Christian faith. According to the New York Times, “invoking God and the homeland, the group attacked immigrants who they say come and take our jobs and invade our hospitals and assault our women, and they have proposed slashing gender equality.” , ousting those who do not correspond to their ideal of “true Spaniard”.

Spanish institutions have been ineffective in stopping the advance of these policies. The government has been intensely polarized in the face of the Catalan crisis, which has resulted in many domestic issues being ignored and even unwilling to make problems with them. According to Eugeni Rodríguez, president of the Barcelona Observatory against homophobia, “Spain must strengthen its policies against homophobia because the number of attacks and insults that go unreported is extremely high… We accepted that we can be insulted, harassed and discriminated against.

The Spanish media have also been a barrier to upholding human rights, with many media normalizing the portrayal of gay people and people of color as issues. According to Ronny de la Cruz of COGAM, the collective organization of lesbians, gays, transsexuals and bisexuals, “it is not the case that they say ‘let’s go out in the streets and kill the homosexuals’, but what they say is that we are a privileged group and the legislation that concerns us should be lifted and so on. It all has an effect.

In response, the government is working to create specialist groups within the Home Office and police force to prevent hate crimes and support victims, and said in a draft three-year plan that they are invested in increasing the budget and speeding up the recruitment process for the National Hate Crime Unit, the details of this proposal to be discussed “at a later date,” according to MSN. Additionally, a revolutionary new bill is being passed by parliament that would set international standards for gender affirmation and LGBT women’s rights in the country. Representatives of the ruling Socialist Party and its junior partner Unidas Podemos have been strong supporters of the bill and the human rights struggle it represents, government spokeswoman María Jesús Montero, declaring that the government embraces the “plural”, “mature” and “progressive” society that Spain has become, according to El Paìs, and “si [conservatives] whether we like it or not, this government will continue to work on this line of achievements in social and civil law.

The path to protecting marginalized communities is obscured by the rise of fascism in Spain, but according to NYT opinion writer Martín Caparrós, the government can take crucial steps to address these long-term problems if it stops working. fight and focus on the well-being of their citizens. “Only a serious and profound overhaul of the mechanisms of democracy and the reestablishment of social justice can stop [fascists], “he said.” But, above all, our community must be sure that our safety is guaranteed and that we can afford to be visible on the streets. “

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