NBC News and opinion columnist Gustavo Arellano faced backlash over a commentary piece with the headline, "Spanish, not English, is the most all-American language and has been for centuries" (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid, File)
NBC News and one of its opinion writers faced a barrage of criticism Sunday over a commentary, posted on NBC News’ main Twitter account, that called Spanish “the most all-American language.”
Gustavo Arellano, also a columnist for The Los Angeles Times opinion section, asked in the piece, published on Memorial Day weekend, “Is it dangerous to speak Spanish in public in Trump’s America? Well, sí!”
The commentary’s headline: “Spanish, not English, is the most all-American language and has been for centuries.” In his argument, he noted how Spain had established colonies in what later would become the United States before the English settlement of Jamestown was established in 1607.
One Twitter critic wrote: “What makes American English beautiful is that it encompasses several languages. The writer is biased and ignorant.”
Others on Twitter called the article “silly” and “stupid news” and “anti white propaganda.”
The column focused on what he described as “anti-Latino” backlash as well as the history of Spanish in America. “The reality is that speaking Spanish in the United States has always been dangerous: In this age of social media, the rest of the country is just learning about what Latinos have had to deal with for generations,” Arellano wrote.
NBC did not respond to Fox News’ request for comment. Arellano replied, “There’s backlash? It’s all valentines for me!”
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