Increase in cases treated by SOS Racisme in Catalonia

SOS Racisme is an anti-racism platform found throughout Europe and in Catalonia, dedicated to fighting for equal rights and opportunities for all members of society. And last year, the Catalan chapter helped 213 new cases, 76% more than in 2016, when it helped with 121.

Individuals who bring their cases to the group can choose to press charges or not, and in 2017, 122 people (57%) decided not to pursue their incident in court, citing reasons such as fear or lack of trust in the system. Meanwhile, 91 of the 213 individuals did resort to legal means regards the racist act they suffered from.

Alleged aggressions and abuse carried out by public security bodies remain the most common, standing for 26 cases out of the 91 reported to the police. Second, come aggressions and discrimination from individuals, with a total of 21 cases.

The data was released as part of the 2017 report ‘InVisibles. The State of Racism in Catalonia,’ presented by SOS Racisme on Wednesday, March 21, coinciding with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, commemorating the day in 1960 when police opened fire and killed 69 peaceful protesters against apartheid laws in South Africa.

One of the testimonies featured in the SOS Racisme report presentation was that of Nadia Ebrahim, who brought her case to the platform in 2014. In the presentation, Ebrahim detailed the “hell” brought upon her and her family through insults, threats, and other racist acts that a family member inflicted on her husband, of Senegalese origin. This ordeal led her to speak up, after “having tried everything else.”