Spanish prime minister speaks out after male college stages a mass catcalling

Spain's Prime Minister has called on the country to stand united against a college of men who staged a mass-catcalling.

Students from men's college Colegio Mayor Elías Ahuja in Madrid have faced intense scrutiny after being caught on camera hurling sexist chants and insults at a women's college, Colegio Mayor Santa Mónica, located next door.

The group of men have faced extreme backlash on social media for their catcalling and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has also now spoken out against the misogynistic behaviour.

*Warning: Swearing, sexist and offensive language throughout.**

In the clip, the college students can be heard shouting insults such as: "B***hes, get out of your burrows, you are all nymphomaniacs.

"I promise you that you are all going to f**k in the capea."

Another translation reads: "Wh*res, come out of your burrows like rabbits, you’re f**king nymphomaniacs. I promise you’ll all f**k in the bullfight! Go Ahuja!|"

Prime Minister Sánchez called the incident 'inexplicable, unjustifiable and repugnant'.

He told reporters: "We need to give a united and common message of rejection of these machista behaviours which are unexplainable, unjustifiable and absolutely repugnant.

"And that we don’t give any excuse for these behaviours, they don’t reflect the majority of Spanish society."

Colegio Mayor Elías Ahuja has taken to Instagram to address the footage too.

It condemned the college students as having acted in an 'unacceptable' manner.

It continued: "[Translation] We consider them incomprehensible and inadmissible in society, both in form and substance. In addition to being totally contrary to the ideology and values ​​of the center."

The college revealed it has decided to 'immediate[ly] correct' the behaviour of the college students and has threatened the students involved with potential expulsion - the ringleader of the group having already been dismissed.

The students involved will also be required to 'offer public apologies to the management and schoolgirls of the Colegio Mayor Santa Mónica'.

The college will also force the students involved to partake in 'courses to raise awareness of gender equality' and join in on voluntary activities which promote 'solidarity'.

It resolved: "The Management reaffirms the Colegio Mayor's commitment to an education based on values ​​such as friendship, respect, a sense of community, solidarity and equality."

Spain's minister of equality, Irene Montero, views the incident as an 'obvious sign that sex education is needed and that institutions must stop legitimising sexist discourse'.

She posted her interview with reporters on Twitter alongside the caption: "Sex education is what the students of this Residence Hall need. Enough of machismo."

A spokesperson for Stop Street Harassment told UNILAD: "Sexual harassment such as these explicit and offensive chants can make people who are targeted or who hear them feel unsafe, and all students deserve to feel safe on campus. It is important for administrators to take steps to prevent these incidents from happening so that everyone has an equal chance to learn and excel at school."

Ammaarah Faisal, Higher Education Research and Academic Lead, for Our Streets Now told LADbible. "'Catcalling' is repeatedly seen as a joke, or 'just a bit of fun', when in fact it is verbal abuse - plain and simple - with far-reaching effects. Victims of public sexual harassment (PSH) are known to suffer increased mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, following incidences of harassment. Furthermore, PSH is not a standalone incident. It forms part of the gender-based violence continuum and perpetuates rape culture, which is often observed in “lad culture”, a particularly prominent aspect of misogyny at higher education institutions.

"Our research has shown that over half of UK Higher Education students surveyed have been affected by public sexual harassment during Freshers Week, with nearly 80% feeling unsafe in their HEI town/city. While this coordinated event took place in Spain, it is by no means limited to other countries - we know public sexual harassment is as prevalent in the UK as anywhere else, with people of marginalised genders facing abuse on a daily basis as they simply go about their lives.

"What's more shocking is that these young men felt emboldened enough to organise such an event, which is emblematic of the consequences of this behaviour, and its misogynist roots, going unchallenged.

"Our Streets Now are fighting to make campuses a safer place - through increasing awareness, creating support networks, educating the male student body, and pushing universities to monitor PSH on- and off-campus to develop strategies to tackle it.

"Rather than reducing 'catcalling' to banter or a punchline, we should be challenging it and PSH in all its forms."

If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]