Spain
Spain And Its Gypsies, A Story Of Discrimination
by Noelia Rodrigo-Gómez
The deportation of thousands of Roma from France to Romania made the headlines in 2010 and international attention was brought to the harassment and discrimination that Roma people across Europe have endured for centuries.
On 6th December 2010 I came across and article in the New York Times with the following headline: “In Spain, Gypsies Find Easier Path to Integration”. I remember being stricken by a mixed feeling of astonishment and perplexity. The memory of my school days came immediately to my mind. Even though I attended public primary and secondary school in a neighborhood with a strong Gypsy presence I never crossed a single Gypsy student at the school. It also came to my mind the sadly famous case of Mancha Real a Spanish southern town where a massive assault against Gypsies led by the town’s mayor was launched following the murder in a barroom brawl of a payo(non-Gypsy) neighbor allegedly caused by a Gypsy. And what about the case of María Luisa Muñoz? This woman was denied her right to a widow’s pension by the Spanish Social Security Administration on the grounds that her marriage celebrated by the traditional Gypsy rite was not recognized by law even though her husband had contributed for a great many years to the Social Security System and the births of their children had been duly recorded in the Spanish Libro de Familia (Family Record Book). Her right to a pension was only recognized when the European Court of Human Rights ruled in her favor.
Historic evidence supports that Rom Gypsies entered the Iberian Peninsula from both the North via the Pyrenees and the East via the Mediterranean Sea. The first documented record of the arrival of Gypsies to the Iberian Peninsula is found in the Archives of the Kingdom of Aragon and dates back to 1425. This document is a safe conduct granted by King Alfonso V of Aragon to Duke John of Little Egypt. Gypsies declared themselves as coming from Little Egypt which during the medieval ages was what most of the Eastern Mediterranean, including Greece, Cyprus, and Syria was called. In Spain Gypsies are nowadays commonly called gitanos (the Spanish word for Gypsy) a term that developed from the adjective egiptano (Egyptian) and in which Gypsies themselves take a great deal of pride.
When Gypsies first arrived to the Iberian Peninsula they claimed to be penitents and pilgrims to ensure that they enjoyed a much warmer welcome than they had received hitherto. However, their idiosyncrasy and peculiar way of life rapidly made them the target of popular animosity. Even though in Spain Gypsies became completely sedentary their integration into Spanish society was not facilitated by this fact, they were outcast and their ethnicity used as a synonym for cheat and theft.
At the present time, in a country that is home to the largest Gypsy population of Western Europe, estimated between 8,500,000 and 1,000,000 (no official census is available because under Spanish law it is forbidden to collect data based on ethnic origin), Gypsies continue to endure social discrimination and cultural incomprehension. The numbers speak for themselves. According to data provided by Fundación Secretariado Gitano, although between 92 and 96% of Gypsies live in normal housing conditions 40% of them live in low-income areas and 88% live in areas where there is a traditional Gypsy presence. Not forgetting that between 4 and 8% of Gypsies live in shanty houses and caves. It is also estimated that only 50% of Gypsies have regular jobs and that 80% of Gypsy students drop school in secondary education.
Article 14 of the Spanish Constitution provides for the right to equality of all Spaniards before the law and prohibits any discriminatory treatment based on birth, race, sex, religion, opinion or any other personal or social condition or circumstance. This is one of the fundamental rights that according to article 53.2 of the Spanish Constitution can be claimed by means of a summary procedure before the Spanish ordinary courts. In the same vein the Spanish Penal Code criminalizes discriminatory conducts and actions in articles 510, 511, 512 and 515.5. However, Spanish social behaviors fall far short of complying with the law. Gypsies are reportedly discriminated when applying for jobs, looking for housing, going to bars or just simply buying in stores. But despite the fact that appropriate legal instruments have been created and developed to punish these discriminatory behaviors Gypsies do not utilize them due to a lack of trust in local authorities.
State-funded associations and institutes such as Fundación Secretariado Gitano and Instituto de Cultura Gitana have been set up in an effort to promote Gypsy culture and heritage and to help Gypsies to find jobs and defend their rights. Unfortunately, the reality is that almost six centuries after their arrival to the Iberian Peninsula Gypsies still endure social stigma and discrimination in a country that, ironically, is world famous for its Gypsy music and dancing.
The deportation of thousands of Roma from France to Romania made the headlines in 2010 and international attention was brought to the harassment and discrimination that Roma people across Europe have endured for centuries.
On 6th December 2010 I came across and article in the New York Times with the following headline: “In Spain, Gypsies Find Easier Path to Integration”. I remember being stricken by a mixed feeling of astonishment and perplexity. The memory of my school days came immediately to my mind. Even though I attended public primary and secondary school in a neighborhood with a strong Gypsy presence I never crossed a single Gypsy student at the school. It also came to my mind the sadly famous case of Mancha Real a Spanish southern town where a massive assault against Gypsies led by the town’s mayor was launched following the murder in a barroom brawl of a payo(non-Gypsy) neighbor allegedly caused by a Gypsy. And what about the case of María Luisa Muñoz? This woman was denied her right to a widow’s pension by the Spanish Social Security Administration on the grounds that her marriage celebrated by the traditional Gypsy rite was not recognized by law even though her husband had contributed for a great many years to the Social Security System and the births of their children had been duly recorded in the Spanish Libro de Familia (Family Record Book). Her right to a pension was only recognized when the European Court of Human Rights ruled in her favor.
Historic evidence supports that Rom Gypsies entered the Iberian Peninsula from both the North via the Pyrenees and the East via the Mediterranean Sea. The first documented record of the arrival of Gypsies to the Iberian Peninsula is found in the Archives of the Kingdom of Aragon and dates back to 1425. This document is a safe conduct granted by King Alfonso V of Aragon to Duke John of Little Egypt. Gypsies declared themselves as coming from Little Egypt which during the medieval ages was what most of the Eastern Mediterranean, including Greece, Cyprus, and Syria was called. In Spain Gypsies are nowadays commonly called gitanos (the Spanish word for Gypsy) a term that developed from the adjective egiptano (Egyptian) and in which Gypsies themselves take a great deal of pride.
When Gypsies first arrived to the Iberian Peninsula they claimed to be penitents and pilgrims to ensure that they enjoyed a much warmer welcome than they had received hitherto. However, their idiosyncrasy and peculiar way of life rapidly made them the target of popular animosity. Even though in Spain Gypsies became completely sedentary their integration into Spanish society was not facilitated by this fact, they were outcast and their ethnicity used as a synonym for cheat and theft.
At the present time, in a country that is home to the largest Gypsy population of Western Europe, estimated between 8,500,000 and 1,000,000 (no official census is available because under Spanish law it is forbidden to collect data based on ethnic origin), Gypsies continue to endure social discrimination and cultural incomprehension. The numbers speak for themselves. According to data provided by Fundación Secretariado Gitano, although between 92 and 96% of Gypsies live in normal housing conditions 40% of them live in low-income areas and 88% live in areas where there is a traditional Gypsy presence. Not forgetting that between 4 and 8% of Gypsies live in shanty houses and caves. It is also estimated that only 50% of Gypsies have regular jobs and that 80% of Gypsy students drop school in secondary education.
Article 14 of the Spanish Constitution provides for the right to equality of all Spaniards before the law and prohibits any discriminatory treatment based on birth, race, sex, religion, opinion or any other personal or social condition or circumstance. This is one of the fundamental rights that according to article 53.2 of the Spanish Constitution can be claimed by means of a summary procedure before the Spanish ordinary courts. In the same vein the Spanish Penal Code criminalizes discriminatory conducts and actions in articles 510, 511, 512 and 515.5. However, Spanish social behaviors fall far short of complying with the law. Gypsies are reportedly discriminated when applying for jobs, looking for housing, going to bars or just simply buying in stores. But despite the fact that appropriate legal instruments have been created and developed to punish these discriminatory behaviors Gypsies do not utilize them due to a lack of trust in local authorities.
State-funded associations and institutes such as Fundación Secretariado Gitano and Instituto de Cultura Gitana have been set up in an effort to promote Gypsy culture and heritage and to help Gypsies to find jobs and defend their rights. Unfortunately, the reality is that almost six centuries after their arrival to the Iberian Peninsula Gypsies still endure social stigma and discrimination in a country that, ironically, is world famous for its Gypsy music and dancing.