Trump's anti-diversity measures reach a Barcelona library.

BarcelonaThe aftershocks of the earthquake that marked Donald Trump's return to the US presidency are numerous and reach unexpected places. The latest has affected the Ignasi Iglésias - Can Fabra Library, where the American Space Barcelona project has been carried out since 2016. This project, which receives a portion of US government funding and promotes cultural exchange and dialogue between Barcelona and the United States, has received a portion of US government funding. The Country and The Newspaper and ARA has confirmed, Barcelona City Council received a notification on March 3 from the American Embassy in Madrid in which they were warned that none of the funds from the American government can be used for "programs that promote diversity, equity or inclusion."

The letter is a notification that the American Embassy has sent to all those institutions with which it has collaboration agreements to remind them of the existence of executive order 14173 –which is entitled Ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity–, an anti-diversity federal law pushed by Trump. In the case of the City Council, the letter referred to the American Space Barcelona program. The program, which has been running for almost a decade and is partly funded by US funds, is primarily aimed at children and young people with the goal of promoting technological and English learning. Since it began operating, according to City Council sources, the program has hosted nearly 2,000 activities with more than 77,000 attendees.

City Council Response

Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni addressed the controversy this Wednesday. Speaking at City Hall, he criticized the Trump administration's desire to condition what is done in the Catalan capital. "We will not take any steps back regarding equal opportunity policies," Collboni argued, asserting that these values ​​"are an inseparable part of the city's identity."

Therefore, the mayor explained that the City Council has responded to the United States Embassy stating that it has no intention of altering the American Space Barcelona program. The letter received by the council does not specifically request any changes to the program—which prioritizes bringing the university and technological world of the United States closer to Barcelona's youth—but simply reminds us that, in light of Trump's new law, it is necessary for projects funded by the American government not to contribute to affirmative action.

However, the mayor stressed that the City Council will keep the project going even if the US government ultimately decides to withdraw its funding for the program, which amounts to around 20,000 euros. Collboni also explained that this is the only cultural project the City Council has received funding from the United States.

The Consulate warns that the City Council will lose the aid.

A spokesperson for the United States Consulate in Barcelona explains to ARA that this is a communication that embassies and consulates around the world have sent to those entities that receive US grants. "We want to ensure that our contracts and grants comply with all US federal anti-discrimination laws and that grant providers or recipients do not operate programs promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion that violate existing federal laws," they emphasize.

The same spokesperson warns that those beneficiaries who, as in the case of Barcelona City Council, decide not to sign the grant amendments certifying that they comply with all US federal laws will lose their financial aid.

Despite the harshness of his intervention against the Trump administration's letter, Collboni sought to distinguish between US citizens and their government. In this regard, he emphasized that until now the City Council has maintained excellent relations with the US consulate in the city and hopes that this will continue. "America is not Trump. And the American people are much more than the Trump administration," he concluded.