The Mossos d’Esquadra have arrested two young people and are investigating three others for a homophobic attack on a group of dancers who performed at a festival in Figueres (Girona). All the alleged aggressors are minors, except for one of them who is 21 years old. As reported by the Catalan police, the investigation is open for the crimes of incitement to hatred and injuries.
The events occurred on July 3 around eight in the afternoon, when a group of dancers was performing on the Rambla de Figueres. During the show a group of five young people harassed the artists and booed them. That same night, when the dancers returned to the hotel, the same group approached them in the middle of the street to then hit and insult them.
The Figueres case once again highlights the persistence of discriminatory acts among the youngest. Mossos statistics indicate that 19% of those investigated for hate crimes in Catalonia during 2021 were under 18 years of age, a figure that has put the regional police on alert.
In the attack on Figueres, the Mossos d’Esquadra have already identified all those involved. These are three boys and two girls who allegedly assaulted the artists. Except for one of the boys, the rest are minors.
One of the victims explained to the Agència Catalana de Notícies (ACN) that one of the young people under investigation recognized them on the street after the performance and said to the rest of the group: “Look, it’s the ‘faggot’ who was dancing!” Immediately afterwards they approached them to push them and insult them.
The dancers kept walking to get away from their assailants, but the youths ran towards them and kicked and punched them. A boy riding a scooter witnessed the attack and stopped to help them, but one of the youths removed a knife from inside his shoe and they also chased him, according to the victims’ accounts. The dancers managed to escape through one of the alleys on the Rambla de Figueres.
The artists reported the events at the Alicante police station, the city that was the next stop on the tour they were organizing. The police transferred the information and the case to the Mossos d’Esquadra. The detainee of legal age must testify before the Figueres investigating court in charge of the case and minors will be summoned to testify before the Girona Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office.
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