# Non EU immigrants in Spain



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

There was an item on "From our own correspondent" on Radio 4 this morning about the issue of immigrants from outside the EU, who came to Spain to work in the boom years but amongst whom unemployment is now running at 30%.

A far-right party called España 2000 is calling for their repatriation on the grounds that the Spanish economy cannot support them. But the real reason is revealed by this statement from their spokesman: "We don't want Muslims here who don't integrate and whose religion is incompatible with Spanish culture". 

Echoes of the BNP ... and ironic considering that Christians, Jews and Muslims coexisted peacefully and productively in Spain for 300 years until the Christians kicked them out, and much of Spain's food and language is Moorish in origin.

She went on to describe how successfully immigrants have integrated in Barcelona:

" the bar is staffed by one Filipino and two Bangladeshis who run the gamut of local greetings as if they had been born here. "Hola, nena," they say, greeting everyone in Catalan slang. In another bar, run by Chinese immigrants, the owner's children pester the customers for help with their Catalan homework. The customers do not seem to mind, this is after all their local neighbourhood bar. The centre of goings-on.

"It's the global boom and bust, not the immigrants, threatening the Spanish way of life," an old man at the bar tells me. And I have to agree."

You can read the full transcript here:

BBC News - Immigration and economy fuel Spanish anxiety


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## Guest (Oct 9, 2010)

Alcalaina said:


> There was an item on "From our own correspondent" on Radio 4 this morning about the issue of immigrants from outside the EU, who came to Spain to work in the boom years but amongst whom unemployment is now running at 30%.
> 
> A far-right party called España 2000 is calling for their repatriation on the grounds that the Spanish economy cannot support them. But the real reason is revealed by this statement from their spokesman: "We don't want Muslims here who don't integrate and whose religion is incompatible with Spanish culture".
> 
> ...


I wish more people agreed with that statement.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

300 years peaceful co existence? and there was I thinking that King Pelayo fought and won the battle in Covadonga against the invading Moors in 722. 

Which was supposed to have started, the 700 year war, to free Iberia from Moorish oppression. Culminating in the battle for Granada in 1492. I must have read it wrong


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Hepa said:


> 300 years peaceful co existence? and there was I thinking that King Pelayo fought and won the battle in Covadonga against the invading Moors in 722.
> 
> Which was supposed to have started, the 700 year war, to free Iberia from Moorish oppression. Culminating in the battle for Granada in 1492. I must have read it wrong


I was referring to Andalusia, specifically the Caliphate of Cordoba under which huge advances were made in medicine, science, agriculture, language, philosophy, mathematics, architecture - often referred to as the Golden Age of El-Andalus - from the early 10th century until the late 12th century. The Moors were in charge of course and there were many battles between warring tribes but on the whole there was religious tolerance and Jews and Christians co-existed in relative harmony.

The Christian reconquista worked its way south until Ferdinand and Isabella conquered Granada in 1492, after which Jews were expelled and Moors were forced to convert to Christianity.

History is written by the victors - but there are some good books offering a balanced view, for example Amazon.com: Moorish Spain (9780520084964): Richard Fletcher: Books


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

I think I shall stick with what I have already been taught


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## Guest (Oct 11, 2010)

Here's another article from Cantabria: 

La crisis acentúa la desconfianza en los políticos y en los inmigrantes. eldiariomontanes.es

_La crisis acentúa la desconfianza en los políticos y en los inmigrantes_ - The crisis deepens distrust in politicians and in immigrants. 

It's the classic: "they're taking our jobs!" argument.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

halydia said:


> Here's another article from Cantabria:
> 
> La crisis acentúa la desconfianza en los políticos y en los inmigrantes. eldiariomontanes.es
> 
> ...


Yes, the recession is bringing the racist slugs out from under their stones all over Europe unfortunately. I can never figure out why it is always easier to blame people who are even worse off then yourself.


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## Guest (Oct 11, 2010)

Alcalaina said:


> Yes, the recession is bringing the racist slugs out from under their stones all over Europe unfortunately. I can never figure out why it is always easier to blame people who are even worse off then yourself.


_Salvados_ last night was about Romanian gypsies in Spain, particulary their work in a small pueblo as agricultural workers. It was interesting, especially the comments made by the folks in the pueblo where they worked and the comments by a young Romanian woman who had been in Spain for years now. 

And it's not just all over Europe, it's seemingly worldwide. In the US, it's "the Mexicans."


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