The Spanish government denies a diplomatic conflict with Brazil over the racist insults against soccer player Vinicius Junior | Meanwhile, the three detainees were released

2023-05-24 05:01:00

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, José Manuel Albaresassured that “at all” there is a diplomatic conflict with Brazil after the insults that the Brazilian soccer player received Vinícius Junior this weekend and indicated that the vast majority of Spanish society is anti-racist, plural, open and diverse.

Albares expressed himself in these terms when asked about the call that the Brazilian government made this Monday to its ambassador in Spain for the insults to the Real Madrid striker. “The Government of Spain is very clear, zero tolerance for racism, which is also incompatible with the values ​​of sport and Spanish society,” he said, adding that racism is “one of the most despicable and condemnable attitudes” that exist. and for this reason, he hopes that the final consequences will be reached in the judicial process that is being followed in this regard.

global support

Turned into one of the deadliest strikers in the Spanish LaLiga on the pitch, Vinicius Júnior’s fight against racism also achieved a global impact off the pitch after being the victim of insults for his skin color in Valencia. In this sense, other voices from the political arc recently showed their support for the player Braziliansuch as the Vice President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas. “There is no place for racism in our society, on or off the field. I fully support Vinicius Junior,” Schinas said on his official Twitter account, in response to a tweet from the footballer in which he thanked the entire chain of affection and He stressed that if he has to suffer more so that future generations do not go through similar situations, he will be ready and prepared.

For his part, Brazilian President Lula da Silvaexpressed himself in a press conference at the close of the G7 summit in Hiroshima on this case: “It is not possible, in the middle of the 21st century, to have such a strong racial prejudice in so many football stadiums. It is unfair that a poor boy who has done so well in life, that maybe he will become the best in the world, will be insulted in every stadium in which he plays”, he remarked.

The equality ministries

The Ministries of Equality of Spain and Brazil published a joint statement on Tuesday in which they condemned racist insults like those suffered by the Brazilian soccer player and demanded that they not go unpunished. Both departments showed their “unconditional solidarity” with the Real Madrid player and asked that all the competent institutions respond “with the utmost diligence to take action” in this case and all those that occur in the sports field.

They also demand that the “accompaniment, protection and reparation” of the victims of these crimes be ensured, which constitute “a serious violation of human rights and perpetuate inequality and discrimination.” “Racist, sexist and fascist attitudes inside and outside the soccer fields are intolerable in a democracy,” the statement claimed.

Both ministries recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the promotion of racial equality and the fight against racism, racial discrimination and other related forms of intolerance, whose objective is to promote progress in terms of equality and broaden access to public policies for the population and ethnic groups that suffer the most from racial discrimination. This agreement establishes as a priority paying special attention to the fight against racism in sports activities.

The detainees

The three young Spaniards between the ages of 18 and 21 who were arrested on Tuesday by the Spanish National Police for insulting the Real Madrid striker, were released after giving a statement at police stations.. According to police sources informed EFE, the three were informed of the need to appear in court in case of being claimed.

The delegated prosecutor for hate crimes of the Valencia Provincial Prosecutor’s Office, Susana Gisbert, reported on Monday that she had officially opened criminal investigation proceedings in case the insults could constitute a hate crime, although what happened is still being analyzed. and there is currently no open legal case.

The police investigations, as detailed by the Valencian Community Police Headquarters, began last Sunday during the match between Valencia and Real Madrid, which was suspended for a few minutes in the second half for the aforementioned insults and gestures with racist overtones. directed towards the Real Madrid player. At the time of the events, agents of the Police Intervention Unit identified one of the alleged perpetrators and later the investigators took various steps that concluded with the identification of two other alleged perpetrators. Two of the arrests occurred in the city of Valencia and the third in a nearby municipality, reported the same sources.