Issue 1/2011 Issue 2012/12 Political discourses and intolerance toward migrants in Catalonia Flora Burchianti and Ricard Zapata-Barrero GRITIM – Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona Spain has become a pole of attraction for immigration in Europe and has received almost 5 million immigrants since 2000. But unlike other European countries, no important extreme-right party in terms of electoral results has existed in the country since the re-establishment of a democratic regime at the end of the 1970s. Spanish policy towards immigrants settled in the country has been fairly progressive, in particular because migration was considered to be beneficial for the Spanish labour market and welfare system. But the financial crisis experienced by the country since 2008 is creating a new context for the management of migration and cultural diversity issues. During the last two years, the public discourse on migration has developed along anti-immigrant and intolerant overtones, especially in Catalonia. This should be a source of concern at Catalan, Spanish and European levels. As an emerging issue, a major and quick political commitment of political actors, the media and civil society can in our view be effective to halt expressions of racism and intolerance and to regulate the use of anti-immigrant statements in the political life. This policy brief presents the diffusion of intolerant discourse in Catalonia, especially during controversies related to the management of diversity at local level. It focuses on the role of political parties and provides key messages for policy makers on how to contain anti-immigrant political discourses. Spain has become in few years the first country of immigration in Europe 2004-2008 : a positive discourse on migrants. A new situation since the financial crisis Urgent need to fight the intolerant political discourses on migration emerging in Catalonia