• astreus@lemmy.ml
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    10 months ago

    As an immigrant living in Spain: Vox make election day terrifying. I just don’t leave the house (immigrants can’t vote in Spain).

    I’m not a small guy, ex-competitve weight lifter and 6’2, but those people are nuts and it isn’t worth the risk.

    • fossphi@lemm.ee
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      10 months ago

      Holy crap, is it that bad? Do they harass people who don’t fit their version of “Spanish”?

      • astreus@lemmy.ml
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        10 months ago

        I mean…I’m about half a foot taller than anyone else around and hope my physique does my Saxon ancestor’s proud. It’s not hard to tell I don’t come from Spain! I speak Castilian, but my accent is not great and very limited Catalonian so if I open my mouth it’s worse.

    • Infiltrated_ad8271@kbin.social
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      10 months ago

      What exactly is it that terrifies you? What kind of weird fascist ghetto do you live in?

      The vox people are so stigmatized and despised that their members on public propaganda racks are constantly recording themselves (and victimizing on the internet) because they are regularly harassed and sometimes even assaulted.

      In fact, on voting day and the day before, political campaigning, advertising or lobbying of any kind is prohibited, especially near polling stations. There is also much more security. You would be better off going to one with a lgtb flag than with a vox flag, like the rest of the time.

      • astreus@lemmy.ml
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        10 months ago

        I live in north Barcelona (don’t want to say exactly where as I’m one of like…a dozen immigrants in the district) but last election got:

        1. Spat at repeatedly
        2. Had someone scream “Muerte de turistas” in my face (as well as others just shouting it as they went through the streets)
        3. Had to console a poor British lass, no more than 18, after someone punched her in the face

        Nearly all of the perpetrators were wearing bright green.

        • Infiltrated_ad8271@kbin.social
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          10 months ago

          That’s very fucked up, but don’t mistake the part for the whole. Those are extremely rare and anecdotal things that the police act on quickly, they are not at all representative of election day.

          You were very unlucky, but I would recommend that the last thing you do is hold on to prejudice and lock yourself up with fear, that’s what those guys want.

          • astreus@lemmy.ml
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            10 months ago

            Unfortunately here in Barcelona the police are very, very anti-immigrant. The less attention I get from the police the better! A good example is there’s been a recent “trend” of spiking foreigner’s drinks in Barcelona bars. Women (and men, but mostly women) collapsing and throwing up and when police are asked for help they have the bright idea to suggest they take an Uber to the hospital or go home.

            I’m seriously considering moving to Madrid at this stage.

            EDIT: The reason I haven’t so far is a) I have a genuine sympathy for the Catalonian movement (even if a large minority make it tough at times) b) it is the most beautiful city I’ve ever lived in and c) it’s where my job is 😅

    • Hyperreality@kbin.social
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      10 months ago

      Inevitable, but still better than vox.

      Same thing happened a while here in Belgium, with the right wing NVA winning votes from the far-right Vlaams Belang.

      Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I wouldn’t count the far right out. They’re harder to get rid of than cockroaches.