Request comes after disability group threatened Yamal with “legal and social action” for hiring people with dwarfism as entertainers
Spain’s Ministry for Social Rights has formally called for an investigation into Lamine Yamal’s 18th birthday celebrations, following claims that people with dwarfism were hired as entertainers in a manner potentially violating the country’s disability laws.
The request was made to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Spanish Ombudsman, and the Office for Combating Hate Crimes. The government wants clarity on whether Yamal’s party broke laws banning entertainment acts that may ridicule or demean people with disabilities.
The ministry’s move comes after video footage reportedly filmed outside the venue showed performers with dwarfism arriving at the celebration.
Yamal’s party, held on Sunday, was intended to be private, with guests told not to record videos. However, some clips still emerged and were shared on social media.
The footage drew immediate backlash and led to a public statement from the Association for People with Achondroplasia and Other Skeletal Dysplasias with Dwarfism (ADEE).
The group condemned the hiring of people with dwarfism for entertainment purposes and said they would pursue legal and social action, calling the episode “intolerable because it perpetuates stereotypes, fuels discrimination, and undermines the image and rights of … all people with disabilities”.
The Spanish government told BBC Sport: “This Directorate General has asked the Prosecutor’s Office to investigate to determine whether the law and, therefore, the rights of people with disabilities have been violated.”
However, a person claiming to be one of the entertainers involved in the party has defended their participation in an interview with Catalan broadcaster RAC1.
The performer said: “No one disrespected us. We worked in peace. I don’t understand why there’s so much hype. We’re normal people, who do what we want, in an absolutely legal way.
“We work as entertainers. Why can’t we do it? Because of our physical condition? We know what our limit is and we will never exceed it. We are not fairground monkeys.”
The performer, who chose to remain anonymous, also turned the tables and criticised the ADEE.
“For a couple of years these people [the ADEE] have wanted to harm us,” said the entertainer. “They want to prevent us from doing what we like, but they have not offered any work or training to those who are affected.”
They added: “All this fuss has come about purely because it was Lamine Yamal’s party.”
