Tensions between Arab and Pakistani communities rise in Catalonia

Tensions between Arab and Pakistani communities spread across Catalonia

In Lleida, the alleged stabbing of several teenagers was the spark. Since then, Russian-language Telegram channels have been claiming that a "war" between people of Arab and Pakistani origin has spread across all of Catalonia and that the Spanish media are keeping quiet. So far, the only thing that can be confirmed is that the claim is circulating on Telegram.

The first confusion is one of labels. Among those trinc the story, not everyone is referring to the same groups: some speak of Maghrebis, others of Arabs, others of Pakistanis. The nuance is no small matter. An Arab is, in principle, someone who speaks Arabic; it is not spoken in Pakistan. And in case the geography surprises you: Pakistan is closer to the Arabian Peninsula than Segarro, but language and ethnicity are not the same thing.

As for the substance, with no official confirmation, three hypotheses are circulating. The first points to a fight over control of drug trafficking. The second, to community tensions exploited by identity-based rhetoric. The third, to a simple exaggeration fuelled by opaque channels that cite no sources. None has been verified.

What is striking is the silence. If the violence were really spreading, it would be hard to explain why the national press is not covering it; if it is not true, it is also news that it is being spread as a done deal through Russian-language channels. Disinformation advances on the same ground as terminological confusion: that of vague labels.

Perhaps the most solid fact in this whole story is geographical rather than violent: Pakistan, while not Arab, lies closer to Arabia than Segarro does. All other details remain unconfirmed.