Bilbao: Photo of 79 arrests reignites Spain's immigration debate
An image of 79 people arrested in Bilbao, 75 of them from the Maghreb, reopens the debate on immigration and crime in the Basque Country. Is it a hoax or a real fact?
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Bilbao: The image of 79 arrests that reopens the immigration divide
A photograph showing 79 people arrested for robberies in Bilbao, 75 of whom are said to be of Maghrebi origin, has been circulating again on social media and reignited the debate on immigration and crime in the Basque Country. The image, which dates from the 2023 Aste Nagusia festival, was originally posted by politician Alvise Pérez on his Telegram channel and has resurfaced periodically ever since, with growing intensity.
The origin of the controversy
The snapshot, which some users point out is a recycled hoax, shows a group of people detained by the Ertzaintza (Basque regional police). According to the messages accompanying it, 75 of the 79 arrested would be Maghrebis. However, sources close to the police investigation have not confirmed these figures, and critics of the image argue that it is decontextualized information aimed at incivil the migrant population.
The political context adds fuel to the fire. At an election rally, the leader of the PNV, the party governing in coalition with the PSE, went as far as to say that the next lehendakari (Basque head of government) could be named García or Hassan, a statement interpreted as a nod to diversity. Meanwhile, the pro-independence party EH Bildu has been accused by some sectors of promoting an uncontrolled welcoming policy.
Figures that don't add up
Beyond the image, the debate is fed by macro data. At the center of the discussion is the process of regularizing immigrants: it has been noted that around 500,000 people were regularized, out of 840,000 who met the requirements according to certain estimates. The relationship between these regularizations and crime rates is, however, murky territory where official reports are conspicuously absent.
A divide that won't close
The truth is that the image, real or not, has taken hold among part of the population that sees immigration as a threat. While the Basque government insists there is no correlation between origin and crime, data broken down by nationality are not published. Until that happens, the photo of the 79 arrests will keep circulating as a political meme that divides opinion. And worse still: without official figures, each side can keep using the image to confirm its prejudices.
A photograph showing 79 people arrested for robberies in Bilbao, 75 of whom are said to be of Maghrebi origin, has been circulating again on social media and reignited the debate on immigration and crime in the Basque Country. The image, which dates from the 2023 Aste Nagusia festival, was originally posted by politician Alvise Pérez on his Telegram channel and has resurfaced periodically ever since, with growing intensity.
The origin of the controversy
The snapshot, which some users point out is a recycled hoax, shows a group of people detained by the Ertzaintza (Basque regional police). According to the messages accompanying it, 75 of the 79 arrested would be Maghrebis. However, sources close to the police investigation have not confirmed these figures, and critics of the image argue that it is decontextualized information aimed at incivil the migrant population.
The political context adds fuel to the fire. At an election rally, the leader of the PNV, the party governing in coalition with the PSE, went as far as to say that the next lehendakari (Basque head of government) could be named García or Hassan, a statement interpreted as a nod to diversity. Meanwhile, the pro-independence party EH Bildu has been accused by some sectors of promoting an uncontrolled welcoming policy.
Figures that don't add up
Beyond the image, the debate is fed by macro data. At the center of the discussion is the process of regularizing immigrants: it has been noted that around 500,000 people were regularized, out of 840,000 who met the requirements according to certain estimates. The relationship between these regularizations and crime rates is, however, murky territory where official reports are conspicuously absent.
A divide that won't close
The truth is that the image, real or not, has taken hold among part of the population that sees immigration as a threat. While the Basque government insists there is no correlation between origin and crime, data broken down by nationality are not published. Until that happens, the photo of the 79 arrests will keep circulating as a political meme that divides opinion. And worse still: without official figures, each side can keep using the image to confirm its prejudices.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (78 replies).
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