Three Kings festival message deemed racist
In Spain, a celebratory message sent by the Madrid City Council for the "Three Kings Festival" has drawn backlash for containing racist content, as a white actor painted his face black and altered his accent to portray one of the kings.
The video message released by the municipality for the festival, which is held every year on January 6 to celebrate the arrival of the Three Kings, has drawn criticism.
It was noted that the actor portraying Balthazar—one of the three kings, who is typically depicted as a Middle Eastern or Black man—was a white man who had painted his face black and spoke with an altered accent.
The opposition Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) described the footage as "disgusting and shameful."
On the other hand, Madrid City Council officials, in a statement to Cadena Ser radio, argued that they had contracted 5 Black actors and 1 white actor for the message, but were forced to film the footage with the white actor because 2 of the Black actors had contracted COVID-19.
FACING BACKLASH FOR YEARS
Opposition to the celebrations held within the scope of the festival has increased in recent years on the grounds that they contain racist content.
Critics have begun calling for Balthazar to be portrayed by a Black person.
News Source: AA
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