Disability Rights Group Condemns Lamine Yamal's Birthday Celebration Because It Involves People With Dwarfism As Entertainment

Illustration of Lamine Yamal's birthday party (photo: ig lamineyamal)

JAKARTA A disability rights group in Spain has threatened to take legal action regarding reports of the use of people with dwarfism (breaks) as entertainment in Barcelona's young star Lamine Yamal's 18th birthday party. They denounced the practice as a form of discrimination.

The young winger who helped Spain win the 2024 European Cup celebrated his maturity on Saturday 12 July with a luxurious party attended by a number of celebrities from the music industry such as Bizarrap, Bad Gyal, and Quevedo, as well as his colleagues at Barcelona and social media influencers.

The Association for People with Achondroplasia and Other Scaletal Displasia (ADEE) in a statement said that the use of people with dwarfism as a spectacle at the party strengthened stereotypes, encouraged discrimination, and degraded the dignity and rights of persons with disabilities.

They refer to Spanish disability rights laws that prohibit recreational performances or activities that use persons with disabilities in a way that can cause ridicule or demean them.

"It is unacceptable that in the 21st century, people with dwarfism were still used as entertainment at private parties, especially when they involved public figures," said ADEE President Carolina Puente. "Our community and community rights should not be used as entertainment material in any form."

Yamal representatives have not commented when asked for a response by the media.

Yamal himself uploaded a one-minute video on his Instagram account on Monday, July 14 featuring party moments such as Barca, Gavi and Robert Lewandowski, playingminton and rolleret. However, the video does not show the presence of people with achondroplasia genetic abnormalities that cause dwarfism.

The Spanish player, who won LaLiga this season, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup with Barcelona appeared wearing a white suit with red roses on the collar, luxurious jewelry, and sticks, according to the theme of the Italian 'gangster' style party.