‘Whites only’ signs are now a thing of the past. But not so in some nightclubs across Spain whose doormen filter who gets in or out.

Anti-racism group SOS Racismo wanted to know if nightclubs discriminated against black, Arab, Latin and gypsy customer. To prove that racism existed in some clubs, they recruited white and non-white subjects to act as their club-hoppers. The subjects were all formally dressed, sober and polite. They were also trying to enter clubs that were not yet in their maximum capacity and were not after admission times.

The group found out conclusive evidence showing that 25% of nightclubs investigated had a whites only policy, with non-whites getting excuses such as ‘you can’t come to a nightclub alone,’ ‘you’re not on the list’ and ‘it’s a private party.’ Meanwhile, the white subjects were able to get in without a problem.

Here are the results per city tested:

• A Coruña: 2 out of 5 nightclubs were racist
• Basque: 1 in 4
• Zaragoza: 1 in 9
• Barcelona: 3 in 5
• Madrid: no discrimination

SOS Racismo Secretary General Mikel Mazkiaran explained ‘The aim of this investigation was and is to make people aware of the less explicit social racism we have in Spain. ‘We need to have efficient legal means to condemn these abuses.’