Racism in Spain

Racism in Spain can be traced to any historical era, whereby social, economic and political conflict has efficiently been justified through racial difference, be it in the sense of racism as an ideology or as simple attitudes or behaviors towards those perceived as different. More common than racism per se have been attitudes such as xenophobia or religious intolerance.

History

During the Spanish inquisition, Jews, Arabs, and Berbers were targeted the most. This policy was called Limpieza de sangre (Blood Cleansing). Even if a Jew, Arab, or Berber converted to Christianity, Spanish society during that time viewed these Conversos as a thred at. New Christians of Muslim heritage were referred to as moriscos, meaning Moor-like. Those of Jewish heritage were termed marranos (swine, pigs). After the Reconquista, many Mudéjars (individual Arabs and Berbers, who remained in Iberia after the Christian Reconquista but were not converted to Christianity, were permitted to remain in Spain for economic reasons) and Sephardic Jews were expelled out of Spain.

Spain has tried to correct the ethnic cleansing against Jews and Muslims (Arabs and Berbers) calling it "historical error" and inviting Jews back.

During the decades of economic boom in the late 20th century, after joining the European Union, Spain had experienced a large influx of immigrant workers to Spanish big cities from Latin America, Africa, and Asia, with the result of many employers preferring to hire foreign workers for a cheaper wage.

See also

• Human rights in Spain