The rise of xenophobic discourse in the Canary Islands
In Europe, people tend to think that we belong to an advanced society and that, therefore, we are safe from any kind of extremism or radicalization. Specifically in the Canary Islands, no one would have imagined before 2020 that xenophobic attitudes would be seen in a significant part of the population; precisely in this region, where half of the population is descended from emigrants returned from Venezuela or Cuba or where international tourism is the main source of income.
But the truth is that even advanced and inclusive societies are at risk of radicalization if the right factors combine. That is why it is important to keep in mind what these factors are, to be able to identify when we are at risk of social conflict and thus be able to deal with the situation and try to remedy it. For this, we can take as an example the growth of xenophobic and racist attitudes, which occurred in the Canary Islands during the migratory crisis that occurred during the coronavirus pandemic, specifically in Tenerife.
The first risk factor is the existence of a social problem. In the case of Tenerife, one of the social problems that can be considered to have most influenced the increase in xenophobia is unemployment and the economic crisis. Since the last economic crisis, the Canary Islands had had quite high unemployment figures, well above the national average, especially among young people. In addition, many jobs were oriented to tourism and the service sector, so they were often temporary and poorly paid jobs. All this deepened with the arrival of the coronavirus and the associated constraints, which helped reduce the spread of the virus but limited or directly paralyzed the source of income of many households.
Another important factor in the rise of xenophobic attitudes is the existence of a scapegoat, someone to hold directly or indirectly responsible for the problem. It should be remembered that in the second half of 2020 there was a massive arrival of irregular migrants to the coasts of the Canary Islands, probably due to the consequences of the pandemic in Africa and the closure of borders and other routes to Europe. After this happened, and because there were no centers equipped to receive such a large number of people, many of them were initially housed for months in hotels, which were closed due to the pandemic. Complaints began to proliferate among the population about how the immigrants supposedly represented an excessive expense for the country and about how the State offered them certain comforts that supposedly were not accessible to the majority of the Canary Islanders. In short, the discourse that too much money was being invested in immigrants and that it was necessary to “help the locals first” began to gain strength, at the same time that the Canary Islands became in a very short time the new gateway to Europe from Africa.
A third factor that favored the radicalization of part of the population was the media and, more specifically, social networks. Beyond the existence of an editorial line, by definition the media prioritizes yellowish or controversial news, because they are the ones that have more options to impress the audience or the average user. Exposure to this type of news increased between 2020 and 2021, when most social activities were limited and using mobile or internet was almost the only entertainment option.
Specifically, many news stories were seen emphasizing superficial aspects of immigration such as the large number of people who were arriving, the supposed comforts they enjoyed and certain isolated incidents such as fights or robberies, giving rise to a large number of hoaxes and half-truths on the subject. All this instead of making a deeper analysis of their real situation today, the problems that pushed them to leave their country and the dangers they had to face on the route to Europe. In this way, whether they wanted to or not, the media increased frustration about the economic and health situation of the pandemic, while at the same time fueling mistrust towards immigrants.
In the end, the tension did not go beyond the typical online lynching through the networks, and the occasional demonstration against the immigrants, the centers where they were housed or their location. The level of tension progressively decreased as the immigrants were housed in centers further away from the media spotlight and especially as the ministry authorized their transfer to continental Europe. In this sense, despite the fact that the number of arrivals continued to break records, immigration gradually ceased to be news in the Canary Islands, but this did not mean that the xenophobic attitudes that had already developed disappeared.
The factors that at the time led to the radicalization of an important part of the population continue to be latent. We will continue to be at risk of radicalization as long as efforts are not invested in resolving the economic consequences of the pandemic and in further educating the population to consume news in a more healthy, objective and critical manner.
Felix (Participante)
