THE president of Andalucia has come under fire after appearing in blackface for a traditional Three Kings parade in Sevilla.
Juanma Moreno, the conservative Partido Popular (PP) leader of mainland Spain’s southernmost region, painted his own face black to play Baltazar, one of the Three Wise Men who visited the infant Jesus after he was born.
In a post on X, the regional president said it was an ‘honour’ to represent the biblical character during the procession, which sees floats pass through the city as the Three Kings throw sweets and gifts to the crowd.
He added: “May the illusion, the magic and the hope reach all the homes of Andalucia. Happy to see that the excitement fills the streets of Andalucia.”
READ MORE: Malaga vows to end controversial blackface tradition that shames towns across Spain each year
But Moreno was widely criticised on social media, with one user writing: “You clearly don’t know what blackface is…What you’ve done is a very serious racist act. Shameful.”
Juan Antonio Delgado, a regional representative for left-wing Podemos, said: “In 2026, for a regional president to appear like that normalises a racist and colonial gesture. It’s not humour or tradition, it’s a lack of respect and the legitimisation of racism.”
Manuel Marquez, a Spanish historian, wrote: “Juanma Moreno, president of the Junta de Andalucia, is a miserable racist. Painting yourself black to replace King Baltazar in the Three Kings Parade is a racist act in any democratic and civilised city. Blackface is racism.”
READ MORE: Malaga’s ‘DANA migrant hero’ will play Balthazar in the city’s Three Kings’ parade
Others targeted Moreno for joining in with the festivities while much of Andalucia’s infrastructure continues to struggle.
One advert funded by Adelante Andalucia, a left-wing nationalist party, read: “Baltazar, this year we ask you for public healthcare.”
Traditionally, white Spaniards across the country would paint themselves black to mimic Baltazar’s appearance, but in recent years the practice has become more and more controversial, attracting unwanted attention both at home and abroad.
The tradition has been likened to the offensive practice of blackface, referring to the use of makeup to create a racist caricature of a black person.
There have been increasing calls for the practice to be scrapped, with more and more parades opting to hire black people to portray Baltazar instead.
Last year, Malaga city council said it would follow in the footsteps of other big cities and only use black people to play the role, starting with DANA migrant hero Mansour Konte.
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