Kesia Barranco: "We coexist with the Moroccans because they can't deport them all."

Torre Pacheco (Murcia)Kesia Barranco arrived in Torre Pacheco more than two decades ago from her native Basque Country. She came with her partner, a Moroccan man, with whom she built her life in this small town in Murcia. Now 38, she is one of the leading voices in the demands of the Muslim community, especially after a group of men brutally attacked her 15-year-old son, Ismael, because of his physical appearance. This attack came two days after three young men of Moroccan origin robbed—and one of them assaulted—a 68-year-old man, Domingo, as he was taking a peaceful walk through the town. This incident prompted the far right will throw in the streets of Torre Pacheco.

Where are we? In July, here, there was a lot of tension.

— We're experiencing a boom, but without aggression. We're in a state of coexistence, not true living together. Torre Pacheco is a breeding ground for conflict, where citizens, especially Moroccans—because there's a large Moroccan presence here—are active. Morophobia–They are treated like second-class citizens. They go to the medical center and are spoken to like animals, they go to the town hall and are treated like animals. That's where we are.

What has been done since then?

— Nothing. In fact, in my particular case, not even the mayor has called me yet.

How are you doing?

— Ismael, who was a completely independent 15-year-old who loved motorcycles, sports, and soccer, now doesn't leave the house. He has a lot of anxiety. His life has been turned upside down overnight. A boy who used to be so kind and family-oriented has become withdrawn, always locked in his room, and doesn't want his friends to come over. He's become distrustful. As his mother, I'm also taking medication right now because seeing my son go from being a happy, healthy boy to being listless and unmotivated is really affecting me.

Do you understand why they went after him?

— Violence has no justification whatsoever. There's no reason why. It was his turn. Moroccans aren't accepted, their culture isn't accepted. When the Socialist candidate congratulated Muslims on the end of Ramadan, the whole town turned against him. Is this coexistence? No, it's coexistence. We coexist because they can't deport them all.

In the San Antonio neighborhood, they said that coexistence was good.

— The neighbors help each other out. My husband used to take bags of peppers and potatoes to the Spanish neighbors. It's a cultural thing; if a neighbor is at their door and you pass by with something, you share it. Living together as neighbors is good.

Where's the problem?

— Especially among young people. Young people who are once again embracing Francoism, hatred of difference, and intolerance. It's sad to have to go back 50 years.

Has your child received support?

— None of them were Spanish. They laughed at him when he returned to school, and that made him withdraw even more. Before, he felt half Spanish, half Moroccan; now he says he's only Moroccan. And this hurts me.

Have the attackers been identified?

— Not all of them. They've identified eight now, but there's one whose details I gave them, and they haven't included him in the complaint. I don't understand. You can clearly see him in the video, wearing a white t-shirt, kicking my son in the head and insulting him.

How have they treated you?

— When I arrived in Torre Pacheco 23 years ago, they looked at me as if I were a criminal, as if I had killed someone: "What's she doing with this Moor?" they wondered. They called me "Moor-fucker," a heretic, they wished death upon my children, they told them they had "dirty blood."

How to move from coexistence to living together?

— Both sides need to show interest. Many would only want Moroccans as laborers and then get rid of them because they don't like seeing them on the streets. They don't mind Ecuadorians because they speak the same language and have similar customs. What bothers them is the unknown. There are people who have lived here for 20 years and don't speak Spanish because all they do is work and survive. If, on top of that, they don't feel welcome, they're even less inclined to learn. Young people of foreign origin are often steered toward vocational training in schools rather than high school. On the other hand, I always advise them to study, to pursue careers as judges, lawyers, or engineers. To have influence within society, because that's the only way to change it. Right now there's a lot of racism, hatred, and anger against anything that comes from outside, especially against Moroccans, but in 10 or 15 years, the young people born here will be in the same situation as the children of Spaniards: they won't want to do any of these hard agricultural jobs. And the foreigners who work now will be 65 years old and will no longer be optimal labor for lifting boxes of vegetables.

How do young people view the current situation?

— Many of the young Moroccans who came out to defend the San Antonio neighborhood say they are fed up with seeing how their parents and grandparents are treated, especially when they have to go to the doctor and don't understand the language. They feel humiliated. If you saw a family member being treated like an animal, how would you react?

Much of the discourse against people who come from outside focuses on those who do not work.

— Many people say, "I'm not racist, but..." When you say that, you don't need to say anything more: you're racist. Crime is everywhere. The three boys who beat up Domingo told me they stole because they needed drugs, not for fun. They were high as kites. Rivotril and Lyrica have been sold here for a euro, and there's a lot of crack cocaine use, which is very addictive. I've seen kids destroy themselves because of drugs.