Under Suspicion: The Impact of Discriminatory Policing in Spain

September 01, 2019

Spain is a diverse country, but police disproportionately stop and search people based on their racial, ethnic, or religious appearance. Research shows that ethnic profiling has a profound and long-term impact on individuals‘ sense of belonging.

This video, produced by Rights International Spain and the Open Society Foundations, explores the lived realities of racialized individuals in Spain, who experience discrimination despite the fact that the Spanish Constitution upholds freedom, justice, equality, and political pluralism “as highest values of its legal system.” It features voices of people who know the pain of being singled out because of who they are—and of police officers who want things to change.

This video was launched jointly with the 2019 report Under Suspicion: The Impact of Discriminatory Policing in Spain, which describes the human impact of ethnic profiling in Spain through the stories and experiences of people for whom being stopped and searched by police because of the way they look is part of their everyday life.

Topics

Discrimination and Racial Justice

Report

Under Suspicion: Speaking Out about Ethnic Profiling in Spain

Ethnic profiling is common in Spain. Research consistently shows that police disproportionately stop and check minority groups throughout the country.

September 2019

Press release

As Denmark Plans Housing for Ukrainian Refugees, Justice Initiative Renews Calls for Abolishment of “Ghetto Package”

New measures to override Denmark’s “Ghetto Package” to allow Ukrainian refugees to move into government-designated “vulnerable housing” areas adds to justifications for abolishing these discriminatory housing laws and ensuring that better access to housing and education for all refugees, argues the Open Society Justice Initiative.

April 29, 2022

Briefing Paper

Restrictions on Muslim Women's Dress in the 27 EU Member States and the United Kingdom

This policy brief and accompanying fact sheet map EU and UK laws and pending legislation restricting religious dress—specifically the headscarf and face veil worn by Muslim women.

March 2022