To Mr. Cristóbal Soria, a regular television panelist on the program Jugones Chiringuito (Mega, Atresmedia), according to his statements in Public mirrorHe is not surprised by the events "because I live with many people of Roma ethnicity, and this is clearly Roma culture, where an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth are strictly enforced." He is referring to the crime committed in Villanueva de la Serena (Badajoz) in which the flamenco singer Matias de Paula He died from a gunshot wound.
What is not surprising, logically, is that These outrageous statements have gone viral on social media.Cristóbal had his stint as a referee, and apparently, since he wasn't involved in the game, in this new phase where he's been given credit and has television appearances, he likes to stir things up. Because of the controversies he creates, I mean. This time he's gone completely off the rails, because legal action is being considered to denounce him for anti-Gypsyism, expressly classified as a hate crime in Spain since the approval of the well-known Zerolo Law, which amended the penal code in 2022, fulfilling a historical debt to this group and which punishes acts of discrimination with prison sentences of 1 to 4 years in addition to economic sanctions.
And the famous law of retaliationThe principle of 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth' has been known for over four thousand years, long before the Romani people existed. It was probably established in the codes of the Babylonian king. Hammurabi, in Mesopotamia. It appears in the holy book of the Islamic religion, The quran. Also in The Bible Catholic, although Christ proposed their breakup in the sermon on the mount appealing to forgiveness and not repaying evil with evil.
Cristóbal's unfortunate words have caused outrage and offended both Roma and non-Roma. His opinion has been interpreted as implying that killing, murdering, by applying this 'law', is part of Roma Culture – which I write through gritted teeth, now in all caps – and that they follow it to the letter. Nothing could be further from the truth. Because he generalizes and attributes to them something that does not belong to them. It discredits, stigmatizes, and discriminates against them, possibly fostering the hatred and persecution that has subjugated them to this day for 600 years. that went into the bull's hide.
More than 250 laws written against them have weighed heavily on the weathered backs and noble souls of the Roma people for six centuries, simply for being who they are, denying them their identity, their customs, their trades, access to the Church, and even justice. They have been persecuted, condemned, punished in the galleys, burned, hanged, shot, stripped of their property and their families, mistreated beyond measure, singled out without justificationAnd the stench of discrimination persists, unfortunately, when Roma are not only valued through folklore, while their spaces in society are denied or silenced, thus disintegrating the enriching differences that arise from the mixing of different peoples and their idiosyncratic particularities. Not all Roma are flamencoThey sing, play or dance and, without a doubt, simply being a gypsy doesn't make anyone more likely to be a murderer.
"There are good and bad people among both non-Gypsies and Roma. Revenge is an emotional response of human beings, and to attribute the principle of retaliation to a people who have been extensively mistreated in general is a despicable and vile act."
I don't know what circles or gypsy gatherings Mr. Soria frequents. I would venture to say, with the same ignorance with which he made his statements, that he was there at the festival, enjoying the art. And if he boasts of living among many of them, it's clear he doesn't know them well. Now, they certainly know him. I categorically and vehemently despise any expression that attacks the dignity of the Roma people, as these comments by the commentator allegedly do.
Gypsy culture is respectful of its elders. Family is its fundamental axis. It promotes solidarity and mutual support within a community of love, cohesion, and belonging, protecting and helping the disadvantaged. The constant persecution suffered by the Roma people has given them extraordinary strength and an astonishing capacity for resilience. They are proud of their Roma identity, living in harmony with each other and with other cultures, with whom they readily share. While there are many ways of being and living as Roma, within the framework of individual freedom, they do not adhere to dogma. And many of them are devoted to the virtues preached by the Evangelical Church.
Gypsy culture is symbolized by the blue of the sky and the green of the fields. And a red wheel in the center, like blood. Like my blood, even though I'm as plain as a sheet of paper. Nobody discriminates against me for it, not even the Roma, who include me and call me 'cousin,' making me one of their own. A wheel that symbolizes their nomadic origins and is associated with freedom. That freedom which, as soon as it's linked to opinion, seems to give anyone the right to spout atrocities without any legal repercussions. There are good and bad people, both non-Roma and Roma. Revenge is an emotional response of human beings, and to attribute the principle of retaliation to a people who have been widely and generally mistreated as part of their code is a despicable and vile act. It's the same as saying that rape, pedophilia, human trafficking, or terrorism are clearly part of Castilian culture. We are in the 21st century, and the phrase 'like Roma people' still lingers after various reprehensible, immoral, ethically reprehensible, or illegal behaviors. And as proof, a gambling den.
In case Mr. Soria meant to say that, I repeat: Killing is not part of Gypsy cultureThe program should issue a statement, although it clearly cannot be held responsible for the opinions expressed by its contributors. Cristóbal should retract his statement. At the very least, apologize. But the damage is done, and his allegedly racist image continues to spread like wildfire.
I recommend you change the channel to watch the documentaries. Pendaripen o The Great Swoopthat he reads the magazines RRomipén of the Federation of Associations of Gypsy Women Fakali o Gypsies, Gypsy Secretariat Foundation. Or my friend's book Pastora Filigree, a true gypsy who published The Roma people against the world-system: from a feminist and anti-capitalist activismAnd let him listen to the gypsy. Juan de Dios Ramírez Heredia in his speeches as a Member of the European Parliament. And the album Persecution, The Lebrijano...which is now fifty years old and still sends shivers down our spines. I could cite a whole basket of resources until you were bored to tears so that He should educate himself and rinse his mouth before speaking as he has about the gypsies, to see if his prejudiced ideas become clearer and he becomes more humane..
Opre Roma.
Tears welled up in my eyes reading Kiko Valle's work, because to write with such depth about the Roma people, he has truly immersed himself in what it means to be Roma. He doesn't mistake the actions of certain Roma for their lack of civic responsibility, attributing them not to their culture, but to their lack of civic responsibility. Because being Roma is truly what he describes: positive behavior towards others, family, and elders. Ultimately, it's about being a good person with inherent idiosyncrasies and customs that enrich the mainstream Spanish culture, because the latter is also nourished by the Roma, and vice versa.
Amazing Kiko Valle, thank you!!