'One of the most invisible violences': Hundreds gather to denounce ageism

Up to 1,000 people gathered in Plaça Sant Jaume in Barcelona on Wednesday to denounce ageism. 

October 1 is International Day for Older Persons, as established by the United Nations in 1990. 

Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni was among the guests sitting in the front row for the institutional speeches, delivered by various representatives of associations for the elderly. 

Under the slogan "For a society free of ageism", the mobilization was promoted by more than 30 civil entities, unions, and political parties, and saw an attendance that surpassed last year's even.

The event was attended by around sixty personalities from the world of culture, science, journalism, sports, politics and Catalan civil society.

Speakers said that the day was an opportunity to make a claim for ridding society of “micro-aggressions” that “infantilize” the elderly, pointing to certain language that serves to discriminate against the group. 

According to the journalist Manuel Domínguez, who opened the speeches, ageism is “one of the most invisible violences.”

He also pointed out that 423 incidents of ageism in Catalonia have been reported to a hotline since 2019.

Actor Vicky Peña was in charge of reading the official manifesto, a document that had the backing of more than 1,000 signatures.

The plenary of the Barcelona council made its signature public on Friday through an institutional declaration, ratifying its commitment as an “Age-Friendly City”.

Fighting for a society free of ageism was the central message of the day.

Aurora Huerga, one of the organizers of the gathering, told reporters that "older people are equally as diverse and plural as the rest of society, but we’re tired of being treated like children." She added that ageism was a "curse" that strips the elderly of their "value as people." 

Another organizer, Manuel Becerra, said that ageism exists in all contexts and to all degrees, "from the most innocuous cases of ageism that don’t do harm, all the way up to more serious cases such as abuse."

"We can give examples of ageism in interpersonal relations, ageism with financial institutions, or ageism with domestic service providers," Becerra added.

Prior to the speeches, the square was the scene of a highly jovial atmosphere, with a musical act performing on stage for the gathered demostrators.