Spain

Spaniards split over "abortion boat"

Ségolène Team Observers — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:54:19 +0200

By docking their boat at harbours around the world, Dutch NGO Women on Waves allows women to skirt abortion laws by operating in international waters. On Friday the group arrived in Spain, to a particularly cold reception.

At about half past five on Friday afternoon, "Aurora" sailed into the port of Valencia. The Dutch NGO, which has been offering abortions to women on its "floating clinic" for several years, was met by about a hundred pro-life activists shouted "fascists!" and "murderers!", while a small motor boat tried to stop the vessel from mooring. Also on the quay: pro-abortion activists, and between them, a police barrier, and a group of surging journalists.

While the turbulent arrival took over the country's weekend headlines, women were welcomed aboard the controversial vessel, where Dutch laws reign. Abortion was legalised in 1985 in Spain, but only in the case of rape, malformation of foetus, or a threat to the physical or mental health of the woman. "Aurora" was planning to set sail yesterday. But to where? Rebecca Gomperts, the founder of the NGO, is yet to decide. Women on Waves has already graced the shores of Ireland, Poland, Portugal and Ecuador.

The boat arriving in the port of Valencia:

Posted on YouTube on october 18, by feraleyes13.

"Hi, I'm Romanian"… not Roma!

Sophie Team Observers — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:18:03 +0200

Romanian immigrants have been given such a bad reputation in Europe that the Romanian government has ordered for an expensive publicity campaign to improve the country's image abroad. Some see it as a hidden message - that not all Romanians are Roma.

The campaign is targeting Spain and Italy in particular, where the Roma communities make up the largest of the immigrant groups, with 500,000 and 700,000 inhabitants respectively. According to the Romanian government, they need to make an "effort in communication to correct the mistaken perception of Romanian citizens with alternative information to that of the sensational media debate based on the violations of some citizens originating from Romania".

And they're not holding back on the budget. Notorious New York agency Saatchi & Saatchi have been commissioned with a comprehensive "360°" campaign, which will include posters, a three-spot series, a website and also conferences and meetings to promote research that presents Romanian people as beneficial to Spanish society. A similar campaign, called "Piacere di conoscerti" (Pleased to meet you) is planned for Italy too.

In Spain, Romanian "gypsy" associations quickly noticed that there were no Roma people represented in the adverts. According to them, the message that the government is trying to get across is that "not all Romanians are Roma".

One of three videos from the campaign "Hola, soy Rumano".

'Even a draw against Spain would be great'

Nandita F24 — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:38:56 +0200

It’s hard to predict the result of this evening’s match between Spain and Russia. The Spaniards, among the favorites, have always failed to play convincingly in the final stages of the tournament. On the Russian side, the team isn’t used to playing at an international level but has an impressive line-up under Gus Hiddick.

Zapatero's looking for a fight

Julien — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:45:27 +0100

Both the US and Spain are in the process of choosing a new president. But while ‘change' seems to have become the "in" word for the American primaries, across the Atlantic in Spain, where elections will be held on March 9, it's ‘tension' that everyone's talking about. The concept was even launched by the president himself. On February 11 on an off-air TV set with presenter Iñaki Gabilondo, José Luis Zapatero admitted he thought tension was doing good for his campaign. He didn't know that his microphone was turned on, and the phrase is now a popular internet hit. The Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) candidate has since explained, on the Onda Caro radio station, that "you need electoral tension to activate the electorate". But it was too late. The Popular Party has already profited from these words. Once again, the internet is playing its part in election campaigns. A white-lie, a bad joke or a slight exaggeration doesn't go unnoticed these days, and can soon run a campaign into the ground (see also our selection of videos during the US primaries).