The Incident: Unjustly Ejected While on the Terrace
Recently, in the bustling Ledesma street district in central Bilbao, actor Sambou Diaby was having drinks with his girlfriend and a friend on a bar’s terrace. A waiter approached Diaby directly and, stating ‘Selling is not allowed here,’ asked him to leave. This action was based solely on a judgment made because of his skin color, without any attempt to verify who he was.
Diaby’s girlfriend immediately recorded the interaction on her phone and confronted the staff. She highlighted the severity of the act, questioning, ’Even if he weren’t an actor, as a cleaner or a street vendor (mantero), doesn’t he have the right to sit down and have a drink?' Although they requested a complaint form, the bar failed to provide one at that moment.
The Actor’s Response: Deeply Humiliated and Disappointed
After the incident, Sambou Diaby shared his feelings in a video. He explained that as a citizen who was born, raised, and speaks the local language (Euskera) in the Basque Country (Euskal Herria), he has always strived to combat social prejudice through his work as an actor. Being publicly labeled a ‘vendor’ simply because of his skin color left him feeling ‘humiliated and disappointed’.
Diaby explained that he chose to leave immediately to avoid escalating the conflict in a public space, but he stressed that this in no way meant he condoned or accepted such discriminatory behavior. His composed reaction, in fact, served to highlight the profound social issues underlying the incident.
The Bar’s Apology and Public Reaction
After the incident went viral on social media, it quickly drew widespread public attention. In a media interview, the bar’s management responded by saying it was entirely due to an employee’s ‘error in judgment’ and that they have formally apologized to Diaby. The management also expressed that they were ‘concerned and disappointed’ by the negative impact of the incident.
The incident has now sparked widespread debate and reflection within Spanish society, particularly at the local level, on issues of racism, unconscious bias, stereotyping, and the need to guarantee equal treatment for all citizens in public spaces.
