Two Amazon workers force a truck driver to speak Spanish to unload the truck.
The Platform for Language reports that the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) told them: "Catalan is spoken here."
BarcelonaThe Platform for Language has revealed a linguistic discrimination between two Mossos d'Esquadra officers at the Amazon warehouse in the Zona Franca (Free Trade Zone) and a transport driver. Both workers refused to unload the truck if the driver didn't speak to them in Spanish, arguing that it's not true that Catalan is mandatory in Catalonia. The transport driver tried to maintain Catalan until he saw the conflict escalating and needed to abandon the load or risk losing his company €10,000.
"Viennas here and we speak Catalan, we all speak Catalan", they tell him. When the delivery man asks if they understand him, a worker says no and the superior admits that they do. However, they refuse to move if he doesn't speak to them in Spanish. In addition, they threaten to report him to his courier company for complaining about their attitude, which is what they did. "Catalan," says the witness.
Plataforma por la Lengua admits that this commercial situation is very unusual (usually the conflict is in the commercial sphere) and reminds that companies that operate in Catalonia must serve consumers in Catalan. The entity asks "that the administration take urgent measures against the violation."
