Spain

[RTH10260]

Six-day illegal rave sees 5,000 people descend on Spanish village
Residents watched in amazement as tents, caravans and seven stages set up near village centre

Ashifa Kassam in Madrid
Wed 4 Jan 2023 18.54 GMT

The music blared for days, thumping through dozens of speakers hastily erected in the dusty fields. Against the backdrop of Spain’s Sierra Nevada mountains, thousands of revellers danced while others perused stands selling homemade soap, piercings and slices of pizza from a makeshift mud oven.

Continúa tras cinco días la fiesta ilegal en La Peza, Granada.
La Guardia Civil no desaloja por motivos de seguridad. Controlan que no lleguen más vehículos, pero no prohíben la llegada a pie de más asistentes#LaHora3E
https://t.co/fT1q6lUlV3 pic.twitter.com/jC3VeLty9w
— RTVE (@rtve) January 3, 2023

The illegal rave began on Friday, choking off traffic and leaving pulsating beats wafting over the nearby village of La Peza. “It was 24 hours a day of chin chin boom,” said Fernando Álvarez, the mayor of the municipality.

Residents watched in amazement as a maze of tents, caravans and seven stages sprouted up less than a mile away from the village centre. An estimated 5,000 people – many of them Spaniards but also hailing from Italy and Holland – descended on the site.

“We’re 1,200 people here. Imagine, we woke up Friday morning and we were 5,200 people. By Saturday we were 6,000,” said Álvarez. “Truthfully, it was a bit chaotic.”

After six days of festivities, partygoers began dismantling the tents and stages on Wednesday morning. “It’s a relief,” the mayor told the Guardian. “I’m super happy.”

Municipal officials, however, remained stumped as to how an international event had managed to materialise on municipal lands without any warning. “We have no idea,” said Álvarez. “Truthfully, if I knew who had organised it, I would hire them to plan our village fiesta.”



https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/ ... sh-village

[Danraft]

I worked for a while at the Paradore in Granada. It is a gorgeous area with super nice people and always has high numbers of visitors because of the Alhambra.

[Sam the Centipede]

I don't know how far this has percolated outside Europe, but there's a little social struggle between the old and the new brewing in Spain.

The background is women's football. That's soccer to you USAians, football in Restoftheworldia.

The quadrennial women's World Cup was held a few weeks ago. It has become a much bigger thing over recent years. it used to be dominated by the USA because fully competitive women's soccer has been a thing in the USA for many years but was very low profile elsewhere, matches rarely shown on television, press coverage patchy to non-existent. However in the last ten years or so the women's game has grown everywhere: in participation, in quality and in public profile.

The World Cup tournament is the property of FIFA, the international governing body (the abbreviation is French). FIFA is the usual bunch of corrupt and self-serving shits that bedevil almost all international sports governing bodies (athletics, Olympics, cycling, you name it).

The final of the knockout stages of the World Cup was held last week: Spain beat England by 1-0 in a high quality match. During the post-match celebratory line-up the president of the Spanish football federation Luis Rubiales grabbed and kissed Spain's player Jenni Hermoso on the lips. There was some outrage and then a specail meeting of the Spanish federation a few days ago, where it was expected that Rubiales would apologize and resign. Instead he and the Spanish FA came out fighting:

=ttps://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... iss ‘lies’
Both Rubiales’ rambling speech on Friday, in which he said he was a victim of a witch-hunt and “fake feminism”, and the federation’s defence of him are increasingly seen as a battle that goes far beyond football, in a struggle between an entrenched, entitled male hierarchy and a more modern, feminist Spain.

Hermoso says the kiss was definitely not consensual:

The Guardian: Jenni Hermoso ‘did not consent’ to be kissed by Rubiales
“I felt vulnerable and the victim of an aggression, an impulsive, machista [chauvinistic] act, out of place and without any consent on my part. Simply put, I was not respected.”

So what should have been a period of fantastic celebration instead has been sullied by one machista asshole.

What will happen? I don't know - it is complicated. The Spanish federation have supported Rubiales, presumably because they are from the same cabal of cave-dwelling misogynistic entitled assholes. They are threatening players who have written a letter saying they won't play for the national teams until Rubiales is out and the matter is cleared up. That shows where they place their priorities.

Some members of the Spanish government have criticized the football administrators, so there's a fight brewing there. And the federation already has problems on the men's team side, which aren't worth going into here, but Spanish representative football is not a happy ship with a joyous crew.

Will FIFA (the international governing body) or UEFA (the European governing body, another French abbreviation) get involved? They are not exactly shining examples of modern social awareness; in fact, exactly the opposite. They will probably try to threaten Spain's government as they believe football takes precedence over national sovereignty. They want to keep politicis out of sport (that old trope!) while gaining ill-deserved points for social awarenes with token gestures, rainbow-washing if you like.

They have to contend though with an international backlash. USA forward Alex Morgan has issued a statement in support, as has England's team, probably others too.

New women versus old men? My money is not on the Y chromosomes!

[Sam the Centipede]

Toldya it would develop, before any Fogistas has (prob'ly) read my first post on this: per The Guardian, FIFA (the international governing body for association football) has provisionally suspended Luis Rubiales, the president of RFEF, the Spanish football federation, for his naughty kiss of player Jenni Hermoso and told him and the federation to keep away from her (I paraphrase).

So FIFA has sniffed the wind carrying the pungent odor of shitstorm and decided it doesn't like it.

The fact that FIFA said "RFEF: shadduppayaface" after RFEF's threat to sue players who don't like the federation's chronic misbehavior hints that FIFA is thinking "something is rotten in the state of Spanish football"

Is it too obvious that I relish seeing machistas humbled by women, especially by non-political women?

Link to Guardian article: Fifa suspends Luis Rubiales from all football-related activity over Hermoso kiss

[pipistrelle]

I thought that's what high/low fives, fist bumps, elbow bumps, etc., were for-congratulatory and less formal than a handshake but not touchy personal like you might save for family (that you like) and close friends.

[chancery]

Or a mostly air kiss on the cheek.

[W. Kevin Vicklund]

Toldya it would develop, before any Fogistas has (prob'ly) read my first post on this: per The Guardian, FIFA (the international governing body for association football) has provisionally suspended Luis Rubiales, the president of RFEF, the Spanish football federation, for his naughty kiss of player Jenni Hermoso and told him and the federation to keep away from her (I paraphrase).

So FIFA has sniffed the wind carrying the pungent odor of shitstorm and decided it doesn't like it.

The fact that FIFA said "RFEF: shadduppayaface" after RFEF's threat to sue players who don't like the federation's chronic misbehavior hints that FIFA is thinking "something is rotten in the state of Spanish football"

Is it too obvious that I relish seeing machistas humbled by women, especially by non-political women?

Link to Guardian article: Fifa suspends Luis Rubiales from all football-related activity over Hermoso kiss

I read it a few minutes after you posted, it was at the time the most recent post on Fogbow. Good to see these machistos put in their place for once.

For some additional context, the men's side also won the World Cup this year, and the women's U20 and U17 teams (which I believe are the under {20/17} years old teams, respectively) won the World Cup last year. Spain should be celebrating it's dominance of the sport, but instead this jack-knob has ruined it for everyone.

[Sam the Centipede]

Yes, that point was made: instead of partying like crazy the women's team have been dragged into a dispiriting argument and have been threatened by their federation due to the stupidity of one disrespectful entitled man.

On pipi's suggestion: no, not fist bumps, etc. In these congratulatory line ups a handshake is expected by both parties. Anything less causes confusion and is rude. If the congratulating person is from the player's own group (rather than a local dignitary presenting medals, for example), it is often made less stiff with either two hands or a pat on the arm. If there is genuine amity between both parties, of course a hug or a kiss on the cheek is fine … if they both wish it. If!!

As Jenni Hermoso pointed out, it is about respect and consent. The machista presidente believed he had droit de seigneur. Not in 2023 on an international stage.

[Suranis]

FIFA does not give two shits about the Women, Men or anything else. As far as FIFA is concerned the guy should have jumped her in private where there were no TV cameras to show evidence.

Whats actually terrifying FIFA is the prospect of women teams deciding to leave FIFA and forming a competing orginisation right when the new lucrative TV rights to women's games are starting to become an issue. RIght now you can barely get any football at all on national TV channels, as people like Sky sports have bought up all the rights to Men's football games

So this time around the normal channels stuck a tepid toe into showing the Women's World Cup, and have been utterly shocked to find that people enjoy watching womens football as much as mens football, and there are not as many Egotistic promadonnas involved in the sport (yet.) So people could actually talk about whats going on in the pitch.

So TV channels who have been locked out of decent sports coverage by FIFA enabled sports channels are scrambelling to lock in the rights to the Womens teams as those rights are far cheaper. And FIFA wants to get in front of that barrel load of money. If the Women's teams say "fuck off" to FIFA it will have a monopoly on just half the sport of football, not 100%. That will destroy its power.

So FIFA will easily sacrifice one guy to avoid the prospect of those biatches getting uppitty, and worse getting wise that FIFA etc. do not care about them at all, any more than they care about the Men in Men's football.

*That's the aspect people never want to talk about. FIFA does not care about the men in men's football either. They are equal oppritunity shitheads. The distraction about *oh disrespect to women* just serves FIFA as that covers up what is really going on.

In the meantime FIFA are quietly throwing pennies around to lock in the broadcast rights to the Girl teams to they can sell them off to Sky Sports for zillions fir zillions, before the people in the Women teams realize whats happening.

Its a battle over rights that's has been long coming, and it will destroy the love of football in the medium term. I have heard quite a few stories of people cancelling sky sports as they are sick and tired of Sky demanding they pay big money for Sky Sports and then demanding even more money to watch the big games. In some cases pay more money for the right to pay more money to watch a big game. Pay to pay per view, baby.

And this as been the one year it has not worked out as the terrestrial channels finally had some farking football to show if in their line up, and people loved it. FIFA is not going to stand for people getting easy to watch Football.

[pipistrelle]

On pipi's suggestion: no, not fist bumps, etc. In these congratulatory line ups a handshake is expected by both parties. Anything less causes confusion and is rude. If the congratulating person is from the player's own group (rather than a local dignitary presenting medals, for example), it is often made less stiff with either two hands or a pat on the arm. If there is genuine amity between both parties, of course a hug or a kiss on the cheek is fine … if they both wish it. If!!

It wasn't a suggestion. I didn't know the circumstances. I was saying if a handshake were too formal for the circumstances, then that's what fist bumps, etc., are for - informal congratulations for people who aren't family or close friends. Anything else is only for people you know well enough to know it's okay. And "anything else" is more of a hug, air kiss, brush on the cheek at most.

[Suranis]

Well, it really is a question of did he air kiss the other Women or were the rest handshakes and air kisses, and she got the lips

[Foggy]

Ol' Wifehorn says it looked like he grabbed her head and it was almost violent. She said it was clearly unwelcome and offensive, and jesusgod, are there still men who don't know the power of women?

I haven't seen it. I offer no opinion except outrage.

[Grumpy Git]

It's a bloody disgrace how the male-dominated Spanish football authorities have handled this.

Of course I wanted England to win the final, but Spain played much better and fully deserved their win. They also deserve to celebrate their win and not be treated with such contempt.

The Women's World Cup was an excellent tournament, I watched a lot of the games, the quality was better than ever before, the smaller countries have closed the gap on the established teams, despite all the obstacles they have had to overcome just to play!

More of that in this article written Aug 5, halfway through the tournament.

Jamaica, Nigeria and South Africa impress on the pitch - and fight for respect off it
"You just wonder what these teams could do if their federations actually backed them."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66402145

[Foggy]

Excellent.

[Suranis]

"You just wonder what these teams could do if their federations actually backed them."

YOU SHUT YOUR FILTHY MOUTH!!

[poplove]

I was stationed at Torrejon Air Base from 1975-77. I worked with two American secretaries who were married to Spaniards. They filled me in how women were not allowed to use birth control pills and could be put in prison if they were caught. Because the secretaries were federal employees they were allowed to use the base hospital and got their prescribed pills from the base pharmacy. I also recall that a woman could be arrested if she cheated on her husband, but the husband could cheat all he wanted with no repercussions. I was an E-4 sergeant at the time and was the supervisor of a couple of male airmen. The Spanish men working on the base liked to tell me that men were the jefe (boss) and not women. I would reply that I am the jefe and call me sargenta. Shortly after I was reassigned back to the U.S., the Spanish women were protesting and locking themselves in churches to get the laws changed and they eventually were. I enjoyed the country for the most part, but I hated the misogyny. There was some of that in the Air Force during my active duty years as well.

Moving on, I have loved women's soccer ever since my youngest daughter played. She was a goalie. I watched every world cup from 1999 on. I was very happy to see Spain win this year and I would have been just as happy if England had won. Women's soccer continues to grow, especially the U.S. professional leagues - WUSA, WPS, and now NWSL. I subscribed to Paramount+ just to be able to watch all the NWSL games since only a few are broadcast during the season. Last night, all the players in the San Diego Wave vs Orlando Pride game wore wristbands in support of Jenni Hermoso.

And Wave coach Casey Stoney wore a "just say gay" shirt at the game in Orlando.

https://justwomenssports.com/reads/nwsl ... i-hermoso/

marta jenni.webp (30.18 KiB) Viewed 1257 times

[Foggy]

Contigo is "with you" in Spanish.

[Grumpy Git]

A kiss on the lips, a growing backlash and mass resignations among coaching staff: BBC Sport's Spanish football expert Guillem Balague reflects on a tumultuous week for the sport and for Spain's society as a whole.

Luis Rubiales kissing Jenni Hermoso unleashes social tsunami in Spain
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66626866

[Foggy]

From Git's latest story:

These women who have conquered the world see this moment as an opportunity to move aside anyone they think is standing in the way of their mission to achieve unflinching respect and equality.

Storm the bastions, ladies. They get in the way, stomp 'em flat.

Somebody gimme a flag to wave. It says "Contigo Jenni".

[bob]

Just do it like American baseball: Ass pats.

To paraphrase Frater: I'll show myself out.

[RTH10260]

I was stationed at Torrejon Air Base from 1975-77. I worked with two American secretaries who were married to Spaniards. They filled me in how women were not allowed to use birth control pills and could be put in prison if they were caught. Because the secretaries were federal employees they were allowed to use the base hospital and got their prescribed pills from the base pharmacy. I also recall that a woman could be arrested if she cheated on her husband, but the husband could cheat all he wanted with no repercussions.

Remember that was still Franco's Spain. Potugal was also under rightwing regime. After the old guys "stepped down" democratic governments took over and by 1986 they were considered fit enough to join the EU.

[poplove]

I was stationed at Torrejon Air Base from 1975-77. I worked with two American secretaries who were married to Spaniards. They filled me in how women were not allowed to use birth control pills and could be put in prison if they were caught. Because the secretaries were federal employees they were allowed to use the base hospital and got their prescribed pills from the base pharmacy. I also recall that a woman could be arrested if she cheated on her husband, but the husband could cheat all he wanted with no repercussions.

Remember that was still Franco's Spain. Potugal was also under rightwing regime. After the old guys "stepped down" democratic governments took over and by 1986 they were considered fit enough to join the EU.

I was there when Franco died. It seemed like a lot of citizens weren't real sad. Three days of mourning with nothing but funeral music on Armed Forces Radio and the base TV station was dark. All us dorm rats cranked up our stereos instead.

The first briefing I got when I arrived was to watch out for Franco's Guardia Civil because they tended to shoot first and ask questions later.

[Frater I*I]

The first briefing I got when I arrived was to watch out for Franco's Guardia Civil because they tended to shoot first and ask questions later.

So they were trained by the LAPD then....

[pipistrelle]

The first briefing I got when I arrived was to watch out for Franco's Guardia Civil because they tended to shoot first and ask questions later.

So they were trained by the LAPD then....

You forgot to see yourself out.

[poplove]

The first briefing I got when I arrived was to watch out for Franco's Guardia Civil because they tended to shoot first and ask questions later.

So they were trained by the LAPD then....

Ono-Adán-doce, ono-Adán-doce.