Spanish Fans Show up in Blackface, Mock Formula One Racer Lewis Hamilton
At yesterday's Spanish Grand Prix, Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton was met by fans dressed up in blackface and taunting him for the color of his skin. It echoed the same events that had occurred last year in Barcelona, at another Formula One race in which Hamilton was repeatedly harassed by a small group of fans in the crowd.
Eddie Jordan, a famous racing veteran and media analyst, was furious with the blatant display of racism and said, “This is utterly and totally unacceptable. After what happened previously here with Lewis, the fans at this circuit still have a suspended sentence hanging over them.”
Circuit director Ramon Pedrera tried to calm the crowd as the tension escalated, telling the crowd that “No type of offensive behavior can be tolerated.” The sport’s governing body, the FIA, has threatened to pull the Spanish Grand Prix from the circuit, but a spokesman for the FIA insists that “These types of fans are the absolute minority.”
Indeed, Hamilton said just before yesterday's race that Barcelona was one of his favorite cities to visit and that the people were “warm and friendly.” Apparently, Spanish racing fans have started to look down upon Hamilton due to his intense rivalry with a local favorite, driver Fernando Alonso.
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