Michelle Obama and her youngest daughter, Sasha, seven, have arrived in Spain for a short holiday as US officials scrambled to defuse embarassing allegations of institutional racism against their host country. Hours before the first African-American first lady of the US and her daughter were settling into the luxurious Villa Padierna hotel on the outskirts of Marbella, the US state department removed a warning about police racism in Spain from one of its websites. "We have received isolated reports that racial prejudice may have contributed to the arrest or detention of some African-Americans travelling in Spain," the bureau of consular affairs had warned on its travel advice website. "Recently, two African-American US government employees were questioned by police in Barcelona for no apparent reason. One was detained and suffered physical injuries in the process." The warning disappeared yesterday, but was still accessible in the page's internet cache. Sources at the Villa Padierna hotel said that Michelle Obama had told them she had come to Spain to rest and relax. President Barack Obama, who turns 49 today, is not expected in Spain. His elder daughter Malia, 10, is at a summer camp. Secret service personnel working for the White House have already scouted several spots that the Obama's might visit, including the Alhambra palace complex at Granada. Michelle Obama is expected to see King Juan Carlos and other members of Spain's royal family, who are holidaying in Majorca.
Guardian
