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‘Racist police’ claim mars Obama holiday in Spain
US embarrassment over racism charge as Michelle Obama heads to Marbella
As Michelle Obama takes her daughter Sasha to Marbella for a mini-break, the US State Department has been forced to disown travel advice it issued warning that African-American tourists could be targeted by racist Spanish policemen.
The First Lady and her nine-year-old youngest daughter arrive on the Costa del Sol tomorrow for a four-day holiday at an uber-luxurious spa and golf hotel, the five-star Villa Padierna. Her husband, meanwhile, will celebrate his 49th birthday at home with 12-year-old Malia.
Like many governments, the US publishes travel advice for its citizens. And, until very recently, the advice for Spain warned that "racial prejudice may have contributed to the arrest or detention of some African-Americans traveling [sic] in Spain".
The advice page said two African-American US government employees have "recently" been "questioned by police in Barcelona for no apparent reason". One was detained, the page said, and "suffered physical injuries in the process".
However, the page now carries no such warning – the offending paragraph has presumably been removed by an embarrassed State Department after press reports drew it to their attention. The original version of the page can still be seen here, thanks to Google's cache, while the newly-revised version is here.
Contacted by Spanish daily El Pais, the US embassy in Madrid played down the advice. It said the Barcelona incident had "happened a long time ago" (though the advice page said "recently") and said: "This note should not be there."
"We are in no way suggesting that Spanish police are racist," an embassy spokesperson added. "This was an isolated incident."
Spain's foreign ministry, meanwhile, told the newspaper: "Each country includes what they think relevant in the recommendations to their travellers."
If the US government doesn't take the allegations of racism in Spanish police seriously, though, it seems the Spanish police do. El Pais reports that a police union said that holding foreign citizens would actually be in line with advice from the country's interior ministry issued this January which advised the police to "identify individuals".
The union complained that the directive was purely designed to increase arrest statistics and amounted to a "denial of immigrants' rights".
The Obamas have booked 30 rooms at the luxury hotel where prices start from £210 for a room for the night and a private villa can cost as much as £4,175. As well as a secret service detail, they are being joined by a large group of friends. ·
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So much of the crime in Spain is committed by blacks that the public and police are naturally suspicious and this probably reflects in them questioning a greater proportion of blacks than whites. Good, that makes me feel safe. That said, obviously decent looking people should not be singled out.
I'm puzzled how every aspect of Obama's life comes under the microscope and people find flaws in everything he does including a simple holiday his wife takes. If it true that Spanish police targeted African Americans they should be ashamed. Spanish people are amongst the most open and accepting and warm people.
@Jerome Peter
What does your thinly veiled "white people for white countries" rant have to do with this topic? And tell the 6 million "expats" i.e. British immigrants to get out of their new countries - they never asked to be invaded, after all. Pot, meet kettle.
As for the story, well the US travel advice is true - Spain is racist. You've seen it in sports, when emotions run high - Lewis Hamilton, black footballers in Spain, racist attacks on the immigrant workers in the fields... it's practical advice.
Being American they probably think "Marbela" it is a classy joint.
Maybe the real purpose of the group's trip is to force the whole issue of the Spanish police' reputation into the light of day ??
I often wonder if , like the military, the job just attracts the wrong people - not all of course, many fine, educated and outstanding people in their job, but just enough of the others for the rest of us to notice a dangerous tendency ?
just saying !
I notice the union reference to immigrant's 'rights' and it occurs to me that I have never in my life heard unionists, politicians of any hue (BNP aside), journalists, chiefs of police or civil servants ever mention the rights of the put upon people of the reluctant host countries. We never asked to be invaded. We respect the rights of each other, so why don't our supposed political representatives? The vast majority of people in all countries the world over want to stop, or at least control the invasion of their respective countries by third worlders and outsiders. None of us are wrong biut we are being denied our voices and therefore our democratic right to self-determination. There s no longer even a pretence that we live in a free society or a true democracy where the people's wishes are paramount. I hear the disgruntled rumblings of people everywhere now, including the guy in the garage who changed my tyres this morning. Everyone I sound out for the desirability of a revolution is positive about wanting one but not positive that the people will rise up and create one. I do believe it's coming though as times get tougher and tougher. Watch out elitists, you are way to big for your boots and cocky for your own good.
If I went on an exotic holiday and missed my husband's birthday, I know people would be asking questions about the state of our marriage. Isn't it just a little odd that a woman who can presumably go on holiday whenever she wants is going on the occasion of the President's birthday? And why would she want to go on holiday without him anyway? Surely affairs of state keep them apart often enough. Was all the "happy family" talk just PR puff to get them to the White House?