Equality Ministry: Ceuta attack is the attacker's responsibility, not a group's
Spain's Equality Ministry says the Ceuta attack is individual, not collective, responsibility. Critics accuse it of double standards as the political context stirs the debate.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The Equality Ministry's individualist turn on the Ceuta attacks
It is telling when a ministry used to explaining reality through categories now speaks of individual responsibility. According to the statement released by Europa Press, Spain's Ministry of Equality (the government department for gender and social equality policies) holds that responsibility for an attack lies with the person who commits it and cannot be extended to migrants. The message, verbatim: "We will not minimize a single attack in Ceuta, but we will not allow pain to be turned into a weapon to pit people against each other and sow hatred either".
A statement made under pressure
The statement comes at a time when, in the autonomous city, any attack becomes political fuel. By placing blame on the individual, the ministry cuts off at the root the argument that extends suspicion to an entire group. But it also opens another flank: if responsibility is individual, the same principle should apply in cases where public opinion has indeed pointed at a whole group.
The double standard some see in the ministry
Some argue the phenomenon is structural and predictable, and that reducing the attacks to isolated cases is turning a blind eye. Others claim the statement is pure political calculation: when the suspect carries a flag, guilt is individual; when it is the neighbor, the problem is systemic. The double-standard reproach is nothing new, but in Ceuta it stings more.
The question hangs in the air: if responsibility lies with the attacker, why does the statement make the news? Perhaps because, for some, the rule only applies when it is convenient.
It is telling when a ministry used to explaining reality through categories now speaks of individual responsibility. According to the statement released by Europa Press, Spain's Ministry of Equality (the government department for gender and social equality policies) holds that responsibility for an attack lies with the person who commits it and cannot be extended to migrants. The message, verbatim: "We will not minimize a single attack in Ceuta, but we will not allow pain to be turned into a weapon to pit people against each other and sow hatred either".
A statement made under pressure
The statement comes at a time when, in the autonomous city, any attack becomes political fuel. By placing blame on the individual, the ministry cuts off at the root the argument that extends suspicion to an entire group. But it also opens another flank: if responsibility is individual, the same principle should apply in cases where public opinion has indeed pointed at a whole group.
The double standard some see in the ministry
Some argue the phenomenon is structural and predictable, and that reducing the attacks to isolated cases is turning a blind eye. Others claim the statement is pure political calculation: when the suspect carries a flag, guilt is individual; when it is the neighbor, the problem is systemic. The double-standard reproach is nothing new, but in Ceuta it stings more.
The question hangs in the air: if responsibility lies with the attacker, why does the statement make the news? Perhaps because, for some, the rule only applies when it is convenient.
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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 (30 replies).
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