In the early hours of November 1, a brutal homophobic assault targeted a minor in Manresa, leaving lasting injuries including the loss of sight in one eye. The Mossos d’Esquadra reported to Regió7 that a 27-year-old man was detained the same night on charges of injuries. The victim filed a formal complaint against the attacker, who assaulted him because of his sexual orientation, according to local authorities.
The incident occurred during the Castanyada night, around three in the morning, in a bar in the capital of the Bages region. Witnesses told the police that the accused shouted homophobic insults at the young man and a confrontation ensued until the assailant struck him in the face with a blunt object. As a result, the victim sustained a severe facial wound and, tragically, lost vision in one eye.
The Mossos arrived at the scene after witnesses alerted them and were able to detain the alleged attacker the same night. The following day, the accused appeared before the Manresa courts. The case remains open on charges of bodily harm.
Rise in assaults
The incident has raised alarm among LGBT+ organizations, who fear a spike in such incidents. In July, a transgender woman was subjected to a mass assault during a football tournament in Manresa. The episode underscores a growing concern about anti-LGBT violence in the region.
“We are very concerned by the growth of these assaults”, said Carla Álvarez, president of the Association of Lesbian and Gay Families. She noted that LGBT-phobic incidents have increased since the pandemic and called for updating laws to toughen penalties for attackers and to ensure ongoing follow-up of cases. Last year, 302 LGBT-phobic aggressions were reported in Catalonia, a 27.4% rise from 2022.
Álvarez attributed the rise to the presence of far-right rhetoric in politics that often filters into street life. She emphasized that perpetrators enjoy a degree of impunity and pointed out how difficult it can be to prove the motive behind an assault. She urged updates to certain provisions of the 2010 law guaranteeing LGBT rights, including harsher penalties and better case tracking, and she stressed that many people still do not dare to report incidents.