A new homophobic attack sparks outrage in the Spanish public, barely two months after the murder of a homosexual man in the north of the country. At around 5 p.m. on Sunday, a 20-year-old man was attacked by eight masked people in the lobby of his apartment building in the Malasaña neighborhood. Throwing homophobic slurs at him, the attackers used a penknife to cut his lip and write “maricon” on his buttocks, the Spanish equivalent of “queer”, details a police spokesperson. The police analyze the CCTV cameras and question witnesses to determine "if it is really a homophobic assault or a hate crime", added the latter.
The nature of the aggression has deeply shocked Spain. In this country very open on the question of homosexuality, nine out of ten people say that they would support a member of their family if the latter were homosexual, lesbian or bisexual, according to a recent study by the polling institute YouGov. "Hate crimes must be firmly condemned by the political class and by society," government spokeswoman Isabel Rodriguez said on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will convene the government commission on hate crimes on Friday.
The head of government said on Twitter Monday evening that there was "no room for hatred" in Spanish society.
"I strongly condemn this homophobic attack," he wrote, pleading for an "open country" where "no one would fear being who they are."
Demonstrations were called Wednesday and Saturday, especially in the famous Puerta del Sol square in Madrid.
This attack comes two months after the death of Samuel Luiz, 24, beaten near a nightclub in La Coruña, a crime that had led to numerous demonstrations involving several thousand people.