Few could have predicted, some months ago, such a response. The fact that in less than 24 hours more than 100,000 people signed a petition to welcome refugees advanced by change.org (a petition website) or that thousands of people twitted #YoSoyRefugiado (I am refugee) or #RefugiadosBienvenidos (Refugees Welcome) is just the tip of the iceberg. There are thousands of stories of people trying to help in one way or another.
Two days ago, Manuel, a banker from Madrid was moved by the news and decided to send an email to his friends (some of whom are severely affected by the crisis or unemployed). The day after more than 20 of them were having dinner at his place thinking about how to help: some offered their houses, a couple of them to teach Spanish language to refugees, others committed to buy food for one family. What explains such reactions?
With our economy slowly recovering and one in four still unemployed, Spanish society had all the numbers to embrace a “Thanks, but no thanks” approach to the refugees crisis in Europe. That was the policy initially adopted by Mariano Rajoy’s government and just recently amended, Spain will be the third biggest recipient of refugees in Europe, taking almost 15,000 out of 120,000. Pressure from Spanish society factored in the executive´s decision to overturn its initial policy.
