In Sant Feliu de Sasserra, on January 10, 2019, a confrontation unfolded during an eviction where six police officers from Mossos d’Esquadra were accused of racially abusing a young Black man named Wubi. He was pushed, kicked in the ribs and lower back, and held by the head while being slapped against the pavement. The hearing in Barcelona was brief, with a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence requested for the officers and four disqualifications, though agreement discussions between defense, prosecution, and the special prosecutor’s office aimed to avoid immediate imprisonment. By the end of the session, two participants exclaimed that the acts were racist.
The officers admitted during proceedings that they had humiliated and defamed Wubi on racial grounds, causing injuries, and that the agreement between police attorneys and prosecutors provided for reduced sentences. The proposed penalties included one year imprisonment and six months disqualification for a single offense against moral decency, along with an additional count for acting as police officers. Each officer would also owe a 300-euro fine and Wubi would receive 80,000 euros in compensation for minor injuries.
Following the agreement and the morning’s preparatory work, the court in Part 21 of the Barcelona hearing issued a ruling on its own initiative and allowed the execution of the sentence to be postponed. This arrangement would prevent the defendants from entering a penal facility, on the condition that they refrain from further criminal activity for three years, participate in an equal treatment and non-discrimination course, maintain a four-year non-contact period with the victim, and pay the total compensation, though 30,000 euros had already been allocated.
Because of skin color
On the day of the incident, six officers who would later be convicted went to a building on Manresa Street to continue the eviction and identify occupants. The prosecutor noted that they found a Black, or dark-skinned, man in the garage, and alleged an intention to harm his physical and moral integrity. The victim recorded some of the insults and later described being subjected to profound contempt and hostility.
Wubi managed to escape into an open field, and one of the accused officers fired a warning shot into the air. The young man hid for a time before attempting to return to the property. When he reappeared, he was confronted by the officers again. One of them allegedly warned, “If I don’t blow you up, I missed. I shot you, huh.” The defendants then grabbed the victim, forced him back to the garage, and assaulted him with the obvious aim of destroying his physical and moral integrity, driven by a deep rejection of his skin color.
Victim’s plea
During the assault, the victim challenged the officers, asking why they behaved in that way. A defense lawyer reported that the response included, “Yes, we are regulars,” followed by a taunt to look at the aggressors’ faces and eyes, with a threat to harm him if he did not stay still. The corporal ordered Wubi to be handcuffed, and while one officer complied, another used the moment to strike him, claiming, “This is the same as before.”
The victim pleaded for mercy, saying, “Please leave me alone, I’m only human like you.” The corporal allegedly retorted, “You’re a monkey, that’s what you are.” The racist harassment continued as he was taken to the police station. At the end of the intervention, one officer asked in a derogatory tone if the victim had experience with a weed field, and another remark suggested that the officer kept a strict code of conduct, while implying that chasing after the offender would be a priority until a formal punishment could be imposed.