“This is Spain and it is spoken in the national language.” This is what a waiter tipped a customer at a bar in Gandia (Valencia), after he asked in Valencian. The Platform per la Llengua has reported this case of “linguistic discrimination” at the Language Rights Office and at the General Directorate of Commerce and Consumption.
According to this group, the events occurred on September 18 in Grau de Gandía. The affected customer, who was with a friend, ordered a red ice tea in Valencian. According to the statement from the Platform, the waiter made it seem that he did not understand.
The waiter made it appear that he did not understand it in Valencian
After this, always according to the version of the source, the waiter told him that in Spain they spoke in Spanish and that if he did not speak it, it was “because he didn’t feel like it”. Moments later, another waiter arrived, who insisted on the phrase: “This is Spain and it is spoken in the national language”.
The Platform ensures that the bar did not want to provide customers with a Claims sheet. Finally, the affected person asked the Local police to go to the premises to complete the procedure.
They ask for a sanctioned file
The Platform for Language has asked the Office of Linguistic Rights and the General Directorate of Commerce and Consumption “to intervene in the case, that the claim of the affected person and that a sanctioning file if it is confirmed that consumer rights have been violated “.
The entity considers that the bar could have breached Legislative Decree 1/2019, which determines that consumers have the right to use any of the Official languages of the Valencian Community, and Law 4/1983, which makes explicit the rights of express yourself in Valencian in a business and not to be discriminated against for this reason.