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Aitor Hernández-Morales Profile picture
@aitorehm
Sep 20, 2020 • 10 tweets • 5 min read • Read on X
There's a full-on spectator’s revolt underway at Madrid’s #TeatroReal. The audience at tonight’s production of Verdi’s ‘Un ballo in Maschera’ is in an uproar because while socially distant seating is happening at the floor-level, the cheap balcony seats are packed together.
Although the theatre's management has told the crowd that they're running the show at 50% capacity, the images being tweeted out by spectators show some pretty full rows up top... And a lot of empty seats in the noble area down below.

According to this great thread from @EmiliaChacon, the opera has started one hour after schedule and the curtain has come down just ten minutes later due to the audience's incessant complaints. It's unclear if the performance has been called off.
All of this is happening with Madrid in the midst of COVID’s second wave. Reacting to the virus’s explosion in the Spanish capital, on Friday the regional government put the residents of several 'sanitary zones' under 'confinement' for a two week period.
elmundo.es/madrid/2020/09…
The 'confined' zones are mainly located in the capital's working-class neighborhoods, highlighting the city's social inequality and the fact that the capital's poorer residents are far more exposed to the virus than their privileged neighbors.
elpais.com/espana/madrid/…
Working-class madrileños in these neighborhoods often live in small, packed houses and can't telework. They use public transport with few social distancing measures in place in order to commute to service jobs in the wealthier parts of the city.
The public health centers in many of these neighborhoods are overrun and lack enough staff to attend to the patients that are pouring in. And residents are increasingly fed up with bearing the brunt of a deadly pandemic while keeping the city running.

20minutos.es/noticia/438351…
The "revolution in the cheap seats" (as @dorcarvajal cleverly dubbed it) may have happened in the refined ambience of the Teatro Real, but it's emblematic of a deeper split between the city's privileged elites (who can pay hundreds of euros to enjoy an evening of Verdi safely)...
...And a larger portion of the population that is asking why, in a country where the Constitution states that all citizens have an equal right to have their health protected, the likeliness of contracting COVID is determined by the size of one's wallet.
elpais.com/sociedad/2020-…
Additional historical context for the riots-in-opera-house fans out there:

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More from @aitorehm

Aitor Hernández-Morales Profile picture
May 13
Alright, so, it's the morning after: What happened in Catalonia yesterday? The Socialists won big, the separatist movement suffered a big defeat and the right made significant advances. A curious mix of results that all appear linked to Sánchez's handling of the Catalan dilemma.
Image
The big winner is Salvador Illa, the former Health Minister who oversaw Spain's handling of the COVID crisis. A subdued, exceedingly polite politician, Illa's campaign centered on restored the region's public services and the importance of social welfare instead of independence. Image
Back in November, when Sánchez's controversial decision to grant the Catalan separatists a blanket amnesty was announced, Illa told me that the measure was needed to finally move on from the drama of the 2017 independence referendum and to focus on the region's real problems. Image
Read 28 tweets
Aitor Hernández-Morales Profile picture
May 12
It's a crucial election day in Catalonia: Will voters signal that quality of life issues are more important than self-determination, or will they instead give power back to separatist leader Carles Puigdemont and endorse a renewed push for independence? 🧵
politico.eu/article/catalo…
Around 5.4 million residents of Catalonia are called to participate in today's regional election. The final official polls published ahead of the vote have Socialist candidate Salvador Illa in the lead, followed closely by separatist leader Carles Puigdemont, of the Junts party. Image
Folks living abroad may have two reactions to the topic at hand.

The first is a reasonable: "Wait, another round of elections in Spain?!"

Yes.

In the span of a year a Catalan elector will have voted in the municipal, national, regional and EU elections.

Spain ❤️ voting. Image
Read 14 tweets
Aitor Hernández-Morales Profile picture
Apr 1
Given it's an overcast Easter Monday in Brussels and there's absolutely nothing to do, here's a tale of attempted regicide, bloodthirsty retribution and almost psychotic pettiness from Lisbon to brighten a day that's our calendar's equivalent of the doldrums. Image
Between the world-famous Pastéis de Belém shop and Lisbon's Mosteiro dos Jerónimos there's a dank, smelly alleyway where a single pillar rises, bearing tribute to the vanished Palace of the Dukes of Aveiro and the damned Távora dynasty. Image
The Távoras were an aristocratic family that had played its cards particularly well as Portugal switched from being ruled by the Spanish kings to the Dukes of Bragança and has subsequently accumulated a wild amount of power in less than two centuries. Image
Read 63 tweets
Aitor Hernández-Morales Profile picture
Nov 21, 2023
Spain's new government was sworn in this morning, which means that throughout the day one of my favorite protocolary acts will be taking place: The handing over of the briefcases. Image
Since Spain's transition to democracy, every minister serving in the cabinet has been provided with a leather briefcase manufactured by a select group of Madrid-based leatherworkers. Image
Made with first-class calfskin with a pigskin-lined interior, each briefcase features the name of the corresponding ministry, with more recent editions also including Spain's coat of arms.
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Image
Read 24 tweets
Aitor Hernández-Morales Profile picture
Nov 8, 2023
Everyone was caught off guard by Portuguese PM António Costa's surprise resignation yesterday. Now that we've all had a second to catch our breath, here's a quick run-through through what happened — and what comes next — courtesy of @POLITICOEurope. 🧵
politico.eu/article/politi…
In power since 2015, Costa was seen as one of the EU's most stable PMs. Portugal's recovery from a devastating economic crisis had taken place under his watch and he was been reelected with an absolute majority in 2022. Many saw him as a future European Council President. Image
But that all came crashing down yesterday morning, when police raided his official residence in São Bento Palace, as well as several ministries. The sweeps are part of a corruption probe linked to lithium exploration schemes and a green hydrogen mega-project in Sines. Image
Read 36 tweets
Aitor Hernández-Morales Profile picture
Aug 25, 2023
A defiant Luis Rubiales begins what's expected to be his resignation speech saying that more people support him than those that are against him. He follows by saying that he grabbed his groin — while standing beside the Queen of Spain — to cheer on football coach Jorge Vilda.
Insists that the unwelcome kiss he gave soccer star Jenni Hermoso was really just a "pico" (a peck) and says he would have done the same to his daughters. He claims he is a victim of "false feminism" — and is applauded by the audience. He adds his daughters can be proud of him. Image
He now claims he asked Hermoso for a peck and she consented, and insists that it's been an anecdote that has been blown out of proportion. He says Hermoso's silence, and her statement two days ago, are contributing to his "social assassination." Image
Read 22 tweets

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