I’m a student living in Spain on her year abroad. A week ago, I was having a lovely conversation with another female friend about feminism and sexual assault. We had a really productive discussion comparing our experiences in various countries and how we could change things. About 30 minutes later she went to the bathroom and I got ready to leave. As I was waiting for her to come back, a man who looked around 70 came up to me, grabbed me, and started murmuring things in my ear and licking his lips. I waved him off and just continued with my day. The people on the table next to me didn’t react at all. This is unfortunately not the first time this has happened to me and it will most certainly not be the last. In fact, this behaviour is considered normal for old mediterranean men. Hopefully something will change when that generation dies out, but for now I guess we’ll have to endure toothless old men touching us without consent in public a little longer.
