Funds Not in Terrorists’ Hands & more–2th Oct 2023

Buenos días from Sant Gervasi! This is the Rorshok Spain Update from the 12th of October twenty twenty-three A quick summary of what's going down in Spain.

EU leaders met on Tuesday the 10th to discuss what they can do about the Israel-Palestine conflict that has been going on for decades but has reached a boiling point over the weekend. The aim of the meeting was to ensure that "no EU funding indirectly enables a terrorist organization to attack Israel", as on Saturday, the 14th, Israel declared war on the Gaza Strip after an attack by Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist group.

Jose Manuel Albares, Spain's Acting Foreign Minister, stated on Tuesday, the 10th, that Spain opposes the EU's intention to halt aid to the Palestinian territories, saying, "We cannot confuse Hamas...with the Palestinian population."

Still, several EU member states are reluctant to provide aid due to their concerns about supporting Hamas, which the EU considers a terrorist organization.

After the meeting, Josep Borrell, the European Union foreign policy chief, stated that "an overwhelming majority of EU members" agreed that the Palestinian National Authority would continue to be given humanitarian aid payments. He also accused the Israeli government of breaking international law.

A young Sevillian-Israeli woman was sadly pronounced dead on Thursday, the 12th.

Nineteen-year-old Maya Villalobo died during active service with the Israeli army. Like many young Israelis, she was doing her mandatory two-year military service and spent summers with her father in Sevilla, where he lives.

Shifting our focus from the EU to politics on the Iberian Peninsula.

According to the latest October barometer carried out by media outlets Cadena Sur and El Pais, around 46% of people believe Feijóos's position as a leader has been weakened since the inauguration debate. This means that more than half of the people surveyed believe he cannot lead effectively, diminishing his political standing and influence. The barometer also shows that almost half of the respondents want a repeat general election.

One of the reasons for wanting to hold the general election again could be the controversial pacts and negotiations between the socialists and Catalan independence parties. In previous episodes, we mentioned that Junts per Catalunya, or Together for Catalunya, has asked the socialists to remove sentences of the Catalan politicians accused of participating in the twenty seventeen independence referendum. In exchange, they promised to support the socialists, giving vital seats to help leader Pedro Sánchez needs to become president again.

However, there are mixed reactions to the amnesty.

On Sunday, the 8th, around 50,000 people protested with conservative and right-leaning political leaders, including Feijóo and Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the PP representative for Madrid, against the negotiations.

The amnesty was called into question as Sánchez might be too reliant on the Catalan separatist parties, and he would do anything to stay in power - even go against the constitution and Spaniards. Addressing the demonstrators on Sunday, Feijóo said, "The presidential position can't be sold or traded."

On the other side, on Tuesday, the 10th, acting vice president and Sumar leader, Yolanda Diaz, presented a report where jurists and law experts said that the Constitution doesn't expressly prohibit amnesty.

Still, amnesty shouldn't be the only thing the government is looking into, as sexual offenses committed by minors are rising.

According to the Central Police Directorate, the number of sexual offenses committed by young people between fourteen and seventeen has risen by 14% in just a year. Spain is not the only country dealing with this – Italy has also seen a 15% increase in cases since twenty twenty-two.

And related offenses are moving online, too. As we mentioned last month, young teenage girls in Extremadura had their photos manipulated by Artificial intelligence, turning them into nudes. José Ramón Bernácer, a juvenile judge in Toledo, believes that the rise in convictions of sexual crimes is because there's "a lack of sexual education."

As sexual offenses surge, so do the Canary Islands or Las Canarias' concerns about increasing migration to the islands from places like Senegal and Mauritania.

Fernando Clavijo Batlle, president of Las Canarias, has expressed his disappointment in the central government, saying they have failed to confront the migratory surge on the Islands demanding more "institutional loyalty" from the central government.

Between January and October of this year, just under 20,000 people have arrived at Las Canarias by sea. In twenty twenty-two, around 15,000 migrants arrived looking for shelter. Despite being very well equipped for these people, Clavijo is concerned that the rate is growing exponentially, considering that there are more unaccompanied minors than adults. He expressed that at some point, the island will struggle to keep up without more Central Government support and money.

Also on the rise are salaries, according to statistics published by the Ministry of Labor.

In agreements signed so far between unions and employees this year, salaries increased by 4% on average, just over the rise in inflation of around 3.5%. However, according to the media outlet El Mundo, many companies are worried. Higher and longer-lasting inflation means that workers will demand more salary increases, which many companies say they can't afford, especially those that rely on seasonal revenue like tourism and agriculture.

According to the Adecco Salary Monitor, in twenty twenty-two, in Spain, the monthly average salary was around 1,800 euros.

In other news, early on Tuesday, the 10th, Spanish airline Air Europa told customers it had suffered a cyber attack. In the email, the airline told customers that they detected anomalies in their cybersecurity and discovered that many customers had their card data stolen, specifically expiration dates and CVV security codes. They have assured customers that security is back to normal and that they should contact their bank if they notice any fraudulent activity.

Speaking of data. Be careful about the information you consume, as misinformation is widespread, especially on Elon Musk's Twitter —which we don't call X because that's just ridiculous.

This week, Clara Jiménez, co-founder and CEO of Maldita, a Spanish non-profit data verification foundation fighting for transparency and truth, has expressed that there is always a spike in false information in times of upheaval, like national or international wars. Nevertheless, Maldita says they have seen even more misinformation on Twitter since the war between Israel and Palestine broke out.

To somewhat appease this "fake news," Twitter has a Community Notes account made up of volunteers who fact-check posts, replacing the paid and trained Trust and Safety staff. The Community Notes account tweeted on Tuesday the 10th that they have published over 500 fact-checking notes on posts regarding the conflict and removed Hamas-affiliated accounts that shared violent content.

They are in no way keeping up with the BS on Musk’s Twitter hellscape.

In Barcelona, the new academic year has just begun, and safely getting to school is at the top of the agenda.

The bici-bús is a unique parent-led initiative in Barcelona that provides a safe and eco-friendly way for children to commute to school. Similar initiatives have been launched in smaller towns and villages, but adapting the idea to a city level required a little more innovation.

In the densely populated Eixample area, the bicibús stands out by taking up the entire road, led by one or two adults with two or three more on each side with the kids in the middle. A police car at the back ensures safety and cooperation with motorists. This innovative approach has gained popularity since its introduction in twenty twenty, with around sixty participants every morning.

And finally…

Spanish former number one tennis player Rafa Nadal is making a comeback. The Mallorcan-borne player has been out of action since last year because of a rare chronic disorder on his left ankle—which he has had since he was nineteen. He's returning to play in the January twenty twenty-four Australian Open.

Aaaaand that’s it for this week! Thanks for joining us!

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¡Hasta la próxima!