“Anti-racism” activists are outraged after Spain’s postal service tried to honor George Floyd on the anniversary of his death, but ended up perpetuating an apparently racist notion, The Associated Press reported Friday.
Unequally priced ‘equality stamps’ draw criticism in Spain https://t.co/fVERtCm5S6
— Shawn Cabbagestalk (@CabbageTV) May 28, 2021
Correos España, Spain’s national postal service, issued a set of four “Equality Stamps,” each of a different skin color. The lightest stamp was the most expensive, at 1.60 euros ($1.95), while the darkest stamp was the least expensive, at 0.70 euros ($0.85), according to the AP. (RELATED: Sixth Night Of Violent Unrest In Barcelona Following The Arrest Of Rapper Accused Of Slander)
The stamps were launched Tuesday, which marked one year since Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis. The campaign was also launched during European Diversity Month, and involved Spain’s SOS Racism Federation, a federation of Spanish anti-racism nongovernmental organizations, according to The Washington Post.
Correos España said that the stamps would “send a message against racial inequality,” the AP reported. Spanish hip hop star and activist El Chojín appeared in a short video to promote the campaign.
“There are people who think the value of a person depends on the color of their skin,” El Chojín says in the video. “That’s why these stamps have a different value depending on the color of the skin they represent. The darker the stamp, the lower its value. That means, you need more black stamps than white ones for your deliveries. That way, every letter and every parcel will be a reflection of the inequality generated by racism.”
But “anti-racist” activists said the stamps instead perpetuate the racist notion of black inferiority, and only reinforces the need for racial awareness among people in decision-making roles. While SOS Racism Federation backed the campaign at the national level, its Madrid chapter was opposed to it, according to the AP.
“At the end of the day, an anti-racism campaign has put out a clearly racist message,” Moha Gerehou, a former president of SOS Racism Madrid, told the AP.
“A campaign that outrages those it claims to defend is always a mistake,” Antumi Toasijé, who heads the Spain’s Council for the Elimination of Racial or Ethnic Discrimination, tweeted, calling on the postal service to withdraw the “Equality Stamps.”
Una campaña que indigna a quienes dice defender siempre es un desacierto. En la lucha contra el racismo la ironía, el doble sentido y el “que se hable aunque sea mal” no ayudan. Todos podemos equivocarnos, ahora toca arreglarlo: @Correos debe retirar su campaña #EqualityStamps.
— Antumi Toasijé (@toasije) May 27, 2021
“In the fight against racism, irony, double meanings and ‘even if it is badly spoken’ do not help. We can all make mistakes, now it’s time to fix it,” Toasijé added.