Spain's immigration minister says the responsibility falls upon everybody in the country's battle to stamp out racism. Isabel Castro was speaking to CGTN Europe just over a week after Real Madrid footballer Vinicius Junior suffered racist abuse from football fans in a La Liga match in Valencia.

The 22-year-old Brazil international, who was also sent off for violent conduct, said: "La Liga belongs to racists." His club Real Madrid described such attacks as "a hate crime," while the Spanish league wants more power to punish supporters for racism.

Castro, Spain's Secretary of State for Immigration, said: "I would like to appeal to everyone's responsibility. When someone makes speeches that incite this type of hateful behavior, we must make sure that when someone speaks to an audience, we have to protect not only the victims, not just a specific footballer, but we have to make people understand we are all the victims, society itself and the coexistence of the entire country is the victim of this type of behavior." 

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These events on the football pitch have sparked a fierce debate on racism in Spanish society. Since the racial attack on Vinicius Junior, there have been calls for a change in the law. 

"One of the first things we have to do is encourage people who suffer from this type of behavior to report it - and we are seeing the whole process as the Prosecutor's Office acts quickly," Castro revealed. "I also appeal to the responsibility of all of us who speak to the outside world, not to incite hate speech."

The government wants to accelerate the anti-racism bill, as well as give more powers to sporting bodies to act quicker.

"Education in values is essential to be able to move forward, and also training professionals and different professionals able to identify a hate crime when it happens," Castro added. "It's something similar to what happened with sexist violence. Society today is aware of what sexist violence is. We have to do the same with racism and xenophobia."

Castro believes immediate action will make Spain a more tolerant country and has called for collaboration across all sectors of business and society while approving new protocols to prosecute offenders. 

"We have studies that say in the European Union, one in ten do not report these hate crimes," Castro continued. "It's important because it raises awareness and sensitizes society that we cannot afford a society where there is racism and xenophobia. We are working on all of this because we believe that in order to end racism and xenophobia we must all participate, at every level."

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