Anti-racists slam blackface use in Spain's Epiphany parades

Participants dressed in costumes and wearing blackface, take part in the annual Epiphany eve parade of the Three Kings, in Alcoy, Spain January 5, 2024. REUTERS/Eva Manez

ALCOY, Spain/BARCELONA/MADRID (Reuters) - Anti-racism activists in Spain have called for a ban on the use of blackface seen in many of the country's traditional Epiphany celebrations.

Rita Bosaho, the first Black woman in Spain's parliament, said the practice - part of annual Jan. 5 parades on the eve of Epiphany that depict the biblical Three Kings who brought gifts to Jesus - tarnish the memory of enslaved people and disempower Black children.