Spanish ‘anti-racism’ stamps come under fire for racism

Spain’s postal service has ended a limited-edition run of skin-toned stamps criticized as racially insensitive, citing “heavy demand.”

The Equality Stamps range were priced on a sliding scale, with the lighter ones costing the most and black ones the least. The Correos postal service claimed it was “a protest against a painful reality.”

The range was launched to coincide with the anniversary of the murder of George Floyd in the U.S.

“The darker the stamp, the less value it will have, therefore, when making a shipment it will be necessary to use more black stamps than white,” Correos announced, explaining that the idea is to make people “reflect on the inequality created by racism.”

“The message is an absolute disaster. It’s racist,” said Moha Gerehou, a journalist and anti-racism activist in Spain. Correos said it had collaborated with the country’s leading anti-racism NGO, SOS Racismo, on the project. The organization denied it had any involvement.

SOS Racismo said the “unfortunate” Correos campaign “underlines the need to create greater anti-racist consciousness in Spain.”

“Racism is not just about skin colour, but a systemic and historical problem constructed to give ascendancy to some sectors of society and downgrade others,” its statement said.

A spokesman for Correos said stocks have been exhausted due to high demand, and that the “campaign is now over.”

Jose Luis Gomis, from the online philately store Circulo Madrid Filatelia, said he had not noted any special demand.