The proposal by the Racial Justice and Empowerment Network was presented at the Workshop on Legal Self-Defence Against Racism in Navarre
On 13 May, we held the workshop ‘The legal framework in the fight against racism and discrimination – A workshop on legal self-defence against racism’ at the Palacete Municipal in Burlada (Navarra), as part of the Racial Justice and Empowerment 2026 project.
The event, organised by the Federation of Roma Associations of Navarre(Gaz Kaló) and La Fragua Projects, brought together around 40 people, including professionals, activists and members of the public, establishing itself as a forum for critical education, legal empowerment and collective action against racism.
The event was organised in collaboration with the Government of Navarre—through the Directorate-General for Migration Policy—and Burlada TownCouncil, and was funded by central government through the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda, and by the regional government through the Department of Social Rights, Social Economy and Employment of the Government of Navarre.
Institutional representation and opening of the event
Early in the morning, the workshop was preceded by a press conference that highlighted the institutional interest in this type of initiative. The event was attended by the Mayor of Burlada, Berta Arizkun González, alongside key representatives of the Government of Navarre, such as Eva Gurría Marco, Director-General for Migration Policy. They were later joined by Carmen Remón Ochoa, from the Ayllu Service for Intercultural Coexistence and the Fight against Racism and Xenophobia; María Ángeles García Briñol, from the Intercultural Coexistence Section; and Sonia Santafé Dencausa, from the Social Inclusion and Care for Minorities Section of the Department of Social Rights, Social Economy and Employment.
This presence highlights the strategic role these spaces play as meeting points between the public sector, social organisations and the community.
From legal training to collective self-defence
The workshop was led by Paco Vargas, Pastora Filigrana and Iñaki Vázquez, with additional support from Ricardo Hernández, director of Gaz Kaló.
The presentations addressed racism from a structural perspective, framing it as a historical reality deeply rooted in both institutions and everyday life. Throughout the session, participants examined the legal framework for equal treatment and non-discrimination, as well as the various ways in which these principles are violated in areas such as employment, housing, healthcare and access to services.
Beyond the legal content, the workshop focused on the need to turn that knowledge into practical tools for legal self-defence, strengthening the ability of individuals and communities to respond to situations of discrimination.
Local action: the TECIR Network
One of the elements that particularly enriched the event was the participation of the TECIR Network (Technicians for Intercultural Coexistence and the Fight against Racism and Xenophobia), promoted by the Government of Navarre through the Directorate-General for Migration Policy.
The involvement of these professionals made it possible to link legal analysis with the day-to-day reality of social work, offering a perspective rooted in community engagement, mediation and support. Their work is essential for translating public policies into concrete practices that make a difference to people’s lives.
Social fabric and partnership-building
The event also saw the active participation of professionals from the Gaz Kaló technical team and activists from SOS Racismo Nafarroa, which helped to create a space for sharing experiences of intervention, reporting and support.
This diversity established the workshop as a hub for local collaboration, where technical expertise and community experience come together to strengthen collective responses to racism.
The Regional Law: from recognition to implementation
One of the key policy priorities was the promotion of Regional Law 13/2023 on combating racism and xenophobia in Navarre. During the workshop, its progressive nature was highlighted, whilst the need for its effective implementation was emphasised.
In this regard, the importance of utilising the instruments provided for in the law itself was emphasised, such as the Navarre Council for the Fight against Racism and Xenophobia, the development of regular plans, and the incorporation of restorative justice mechanisms as a means of prevention and redress.
Within this framework, the process of recognition and reconciliation with the Romani people took on particular significance; the law enshrines this as a commitment to remembrance, truth and historical redress. This is a pioneering measure both nationally and across Europe, with the potential to mark a turning point in the fight against anti-Romani discrimination.
It is worth noting that La Fragua Projects, in collaboration with Gaz Kaló, played an active role in the drafting of this law, drawing on its community experience and its long-standing work in the defence of rights.
Under-reporting and the right to justice
The workshop also addressed under-reporting as one of the main obstacles in the fight against discrimination, linked to factors such as a lack of awareness of one’s rights, low expectations, mistrust of institutions, and the normalisation of racism.
In light of this, the need arose to strengthen community support, improve access to resources and develop collective strategies to ensure that recognised rights are upheld.
A network to strengthen the response: RJE Network
The event also served as the launch platform for the Racial Justice and Empowerment Network, an initiative spearheaded by La Fragua Projects to establish a stable network of collaboration between organisations, professionals and activists.
This proposal aims to improve access to resources, enhance the coordination of responses to racism and strengthen advocacy capacity through collaborative efforts.
A commitment to structural transformation
The workshop forms part of a broader strategy promoted by the Racial Justice and Empowerment 2026 project, which aims to build capacity, generate critical knowledge and promote structural changes in public policy.
The Burlada conference once again highlights that legal recognition is merely a starting point. Ensuring rights means working towards their effective implementation, by strengthening both the tools available and the collective capacity to put them into practice.
In the face of systemic racism, the response must also be systemic: sustained over time, coordinated across networks and deeply rooted in the reality of local communities.
T.I.C.T.A.C., EAMISS and Canódrom are the venues where the activities took place.
The Cafè Barcelona 2026 (CafèBCN 2026) project, initiated by La Fragua Projects, continues to establish itself as a space for gathering and collective reflection on a range of issues. In recent months, three Participatory Spaces for Democratic Innovation (EPIDs) have been held, bringing together migrant, Roma and/or racialised participants to discuss rights, coexistence and access to opportunities.
Spaces for Participatory Democratic Innovation
Participatory Spaces for Democratic Innovation are safe spaces where migrant, Roma and/or racialised people can express their views and share their experiences on a range of social, political and cultural issues, amongst others. These spaces are based on a methodology known as the ‘World Café’, which brings together groups of four people at four different tables for successive rounds of discussion. This methodology, adapted by La Fragua Projects with an intersectional perspective, takes place in a café setting, to make the space safe and welcoming, encouraging participants to express themselves freely. This project has been running since 2025, and this is its second edition. At the end of the project, the participants’ experiences and opinions are gathered and analysed to identify their needs, with a view to advocating for policy change.
CafèBCN 2026 has created participatory spaces in which to address, from a variety of perspectives, key issues such as access to healthcare, culture, housing, working conditions and the use of public spaces. The sessions have provided an opportunity to share experiences related to city life and to initiate discussions on topics such as discrimination, social inclusion and relations with public institutions.
In this regard, the EPIDs have served as safe spaces where people can voice concerns and share their thoughts—things that do not always find a place in other contexts. The diversity of voices has enriched the dialogue, making it possible to identify common ground despite our different personal backgrounds.
Furthermore, the process has highlighted how many of the difficulties faced in everyday life stem from shared structural dynamics. This collective awareness paves the way for new ways of tackling social challenges through collaboration and mutual recognition.
Three forums for dialogue to address inequalities and community life
In the three EPIDs produced so far, participants have been able to discuss healthcare, culture, housing, migration and exceptional regularisation, amongst many other topics.
The project’s first event and launch took place at the headquarters of the organisation ‘Workshop for Critical Transfeminist, Anti-Racist and Militant Interventions’ (t.i.c.t.a.c.), a transfeminist, anti-racist and decolonial space. Marité from t.i.c.t.a.c. opened the doors of her home to us and welcomed us as if we were part of her family. One of the questions put to the participants concerned the extraordinary regularisation process and how this administrative measure would affect their lives. Opinions were largely in agreement from a positive perspective, as, for them, this measure represents a benefit both for people in an irregular administrative situation and for Spain. They hope it will help reduce situations of abuse, precariousness and crime; as one participant said, “those who are against this proposal are those who want to abuse us, treating us like slaves”.
The second session, held at the EAMISS Centre, focused on the city and access to it. One question that stood out concerned housing: “When looking for a place to live, have you ever felt that this city is for some people but not for everyone?” The responses were largely in agreement; for example, one participant commented that “the city should be for everyone, but the reality is that you need a lot of money”.
The third and most recent session to date took place at El Canódrom. Various topics were discussed, such as the Catalan language and social inclusion, the presumption of innocence, being in public versus private spaces, and religious education in schools. On this last topic, the question posed was: “Does the educational community take all religious or spiritual beliefs into account?” The participants highlighted the value of religious diversity and the importance of learning about different religions; consequently, they agreed that rather than selecting a single religion to study, this educational space should be turned into a subject called, for example, cultural diversity, where pupils can learn about different religions.
Shared challenges and lessons learnt
In general, the participants felt hopeful and optimistic that the abusive and precarious situations would come to an end. They were also very pleased to be able to share their views in a safe and welcoming space, and emphasised the need for such spaces where they could share their experiences and opinions and be heard.
The EPIDs from CafèBCN 2026 highlight the need to continue fostering spaces for dialogue and participation that bring diverse realities to the fore and help build collective responses to today’s social challenges.
CafèBCN 2026 is a project that not only encourages reflection, but also fosters connections and helps identify common concerns that cut across different aspects of urban life.
The next and fourth EPID event is in collaboration with Bayt Al-Thaqafa on 11 June. And the final EPID event will be organised by the Mujeres Pa’lante Cooperative, a safe space where women from different countries and with different backgrounds will take part.
Source: La Fragua Projects Photo: La Fragua Projects
The Llevant Civic Centre and the Reus Women’s Centre hosted the first two sessions of the Cafè del Camp project.
The first sessions of the Cafè del Camp project, held in Reus on 26 March and 7 May 2026, have left a profound mark on all those who took part. More than mere meetings, they have been spaces of shared life, where more than thirty migrants, refugees and racialised people have put words and emotion to realities often silenced.
In each session, sixteen people of diverse backgrounds, genders and ages took part to ensure the most heterogeneous representation possible. The sessions were structured into four tables, each facilitated by a different person. At each table a different question was posed, and every twenty minutes participants moved to a new table, allowing them to listen to and share multiple perspectives.
The activity took place in a warm atmosphere, accompanied by coffee and a wonderful snack that helped to create an atmosphere of trust and closeness.
The topics covered have been issues that directly affect the daily lives of migrants: precarious employment, access to housing, access to healthcare, police pressure, cultural appropriation, registration, and how the wars in their countries of origin affect them.
Gazing that understand, silences that embrace
The conversations combined moments of tenderness and complicity with harsh, striking accounts. Particularly harrowing was the testimony of members of the Palestinian community; some voices broke – it wasn’t just pain: it was living memory, distant family, fear, sadness, frustration and hope all mixed together.
Despite the harshness of some testimonies, the atmosphere was consistently one of care, respect and community. The facilitators ensured that each table became a small refuge where words could find a place and meaning.
There were also sudden bursts of laughter, small moments of complicity born between people who had never met before. There were silences that were not frightening, because they were shared. There were hands that clasped, eyes that said “me too.”
The Camp Café reaffirms the importance of creating participatory spaces where migrants can speak for themselves in the first person, without intermediaries and with the certainty that their experiences have political, social and human value.
These sessions have not only served to share experiences, but also to forge bonds, recognise ourselves in others’ stories and build a collective narrative that is often rendered invisible.
All conclusions, visions and opinions will be compiled into a final report, which we will publish to influence the stakeholders.
Source: La Fragua Projects Photos: La Fragua Projects
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