#StopRacism: Barcelona’s anti-racism campaign in midst of #Covid19

Various actions of mutual support and solidarity towards the most vulnerable populations have emerged during the situation generated by #Covid19, including those who are infected, the medical and health care personnel, food and services staff, and the elderly, the homeless and the poor. Simultaneously, the pandemic has fuelled racist and xenophobic acts everywhere, including online hate speech and stigmatization, mainly targeting specific populations who are, or are perceived to be, of Asian descent.

To sensitize its citizens, the City of Barcelona (Spain), member of UNESCO’s European Coalition of Cities against Racism (ECCAR)  and UNESCO’s International Coalition of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities – ICCAR, launched a social media campaign using the hashtag #StopRacism (#StopRacisme in Catalan) on 21 March 2020, coinciding with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The campaign highlights six activists who, in the context of the #Covid19 crisis, shared their views on how racism and xenophobia have escalated : the Coordinator of the Association of Diverse Migrant Women Carmen Juares, cultural manager Ma Kexing, actress Sílvia Albert, Roma rights activist and feminist Paqui Perona, data analyst Míriam Hatibi, and the journalist and cultural producer Tània Adam.