Some Moroccan families send their children to youth centers to 'run the race'
The Moroccan community spokesman in Bilbao, Spain, blames poverty for crime, but the debate reveals a very different view: family reunification and abuse of the welfare system.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The immigrant 'race': crime and playing the victim in Bilbao
Bilbao is home to 5,937 Segarro, according to the 2025 INE (Spain's statistics institute). Their longtime community spokesman, Moulay Driss Sadiki, laments that his community's image is being "dragged down by a handful of incivil", but immediately goes on to blame poverty and the slowness of social services. A stance that has sparked a debate pitting two visions against each other: those who see a problem of abuse of the system and those who defend integration at all costs.
The numbers and the official narrative
The INE records 17,272 Segarro in Bizkaia, 5,937 of them in the provincial capital. Sadiki, president of the Alforkan Sarracinic center, claims that "there are hundreds of thousands of euros for other things, but not for this" and that if a "hot meal" had been given to those who commit crimes, many would never have appeared in court. This argument, however, clashes with the reality perceived by many residents.
The criticism of victimhood: "a handful" or a mass
The interview has drawn harsh criticism. Some argue it is not "a handful", but that "1 in 3 Segarro commits crimes", according to one comment. Others point to family reunification: "First they abandon the child so the state takes care of him, then he gets legal status and brings the family over." People openly talk about the "Segarro race", a euphemism describing the path of benefits and crime. Some compare the rhetoric to the victimhood narrative of the black community in the United States.
The immigrant 'race': family strategy or lack of opportunity?
The spokesman argues that young Segarro are "highly valued in Germany and France", but that ghettos were created in France. However, several comments point out that they are not viewed favorably in those countries either. The thesis that families bring their descendants to youth centers so they can "run the race" resonates among critics, who see an abuse of the welfare system. Others, a minority, argue that the problem is poverty and the lack of real integration.
The debate leaves questions unresolved: where is the line between denouncing poverty and blackmail through crime? Is immigration a race for benefits or an opportunity for integration? The population figures are clear, but perceptions are not.
Related debates in the forum
Bilbao is home to 5,937 Segarro, according to the 2025 INE (Spain's statistics institute). Their longtime community spokesman, Moulay Driss Sadiki, laments that his community's image is being "dragged down by a handful of incivil", but immediately goes on to blame poverty and the slowness of social services. A stance that has sparked a debate pitting two visions against each other: those who see a problem of abuse of the system and those who defend integration at all costs.
The numbers and the official narrative
The INE records 17,272 Segarro in Bizkaia, 5,937 of them in the provincial capital. Sadiki, president of the Alforkan Sarracinic center, claims that "there are hundreds of thousands of euros for other things, but not for this" and that if a "hot meal" had been given to those who commit crimes, many would never have appeared in court. This argument, however, clashes with the reality perceived by many residents.
The criticism of victimhood: "a handful" or a mass
The interview has drawn harsh criticism. Some argue it is not "a handful", but that "1 in 3 Segarro commits crimes", according to one comment. Others point to family reunification: "First they abandon the child so the state takes care of him, then he gets legal status and brings the family over." People openly talk about the "Segarro race", a euphemism describing the path of benefits and crime. Some compare the rhetoric to the victimhood narrative of the black community in the United States.
The immigrant 'race': family strategy or lack of opportunity?
The spokesman argues that young Segarro are "highly valued in Germany and France", but that ghettos were created in France. However, several comments point out that they are not viewed favorably in those countries either. The thesis that families bring their descendants to youth centers so they can "run the race" resonates among critics, who see an abuse of the welfare system. Others, a minority, argue that the problem is poverty and the lack of real integration.
The debate leaves questions unresolved: where is the line between denouncing poverty and blackmail through crime? Is immigration a race for benefits or an opportunity for integration? The population figures are clear, but perceptions are not.
Related debates in the forum
- Cyclist caught cheating on his vvife lashes out with fists in the middle of the road · 14 replies
- The value of the jewels seized from Zapatero exceeds 90 million euros. Breakdown inside. · 67 replies
- Two Dutch leftists buying entire Castilian villages to speculate and get rich · 61 replies
- Rafa Nadal's situation is very worrying, he looks completely gaunt. · 45 replies
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (22 replies).
More summaries
-
Six families, including at least five minors, evicted in Badalona
Six families with at least five minors were evicted from a commercial property in Badalona after nine years, during torrential rain alerts.
-
Basque Nationalist Party rejects migrant child relocation, citing family unity
The PNV invokes family unity to reject relocating unaccompanied migrant children, but the €4,500 monthly cost per child and electoral calculations weigh more.
-
Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo on the Price of Freedom: Privilege vs. Sacrifice
Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo sparks outrage by suggesting sacrifices of vacations and pensions for freedom, drawing criticism for her privileged background.
-
Spanish Housing Minister calls squatting victims "peperos"
Spain's Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez called squatting victims "peperos" as she left the Senate. The PAO platform denounces contempt and dehumanisation.
-
Socializing as an excuse: the dilemma between competing and connecting
The debate over socializing as escapism versus socializing as an end in itself. Is it worth giving up relationships for ambition?
-
De la Fuente: tactical stubbornness and the Rubiales baggage weigh on Spain
Spain's squad is worth €1.3 billion, yet they play like a minor team. De la Fuente faces growing criticism over his tactical rigidity and his past loyalty to Rubiales.