Homophobic Attack in La Vila Amid Shouts of "Faggots, We Will Stab You"

Last Saturday, the usual tranquility of La Creueta Park in La Vila Joiosa was disrupted at 3:30 a.m. when, according to members of Col·lectiu Vila-diversitat, a group of young individuals, apparently minors, carried out a homophobic attack. They approached a couple of boys sitting on a bench and shouted, "faggots, we will stab you."

The commotion was such that several neighbors called the Local Police to report the incident, also providing photographs taken with their mobile phones. Upon the arrival of the officers, the perpetrators of the homophobic attack fled and hid in nearby doorways.

"It is hard to believe this still happens, but it is the reality," lamented Paco Llorca, coordinator of Col·lectiu Vila-diversitat, in a conversation with TodoAlicante. "We must report all assaults. In recent months, there have been four or five such attacks in La Vila, but only this latest one has been reported," he emphasized.

Regarding the incident last Saturday, Llorca explained that it was "the neighbors themselves" who alerted not only the police but also Col·lectiu Vila-diversitat. "They contacted us and also recorded videos and took photos to provide to the police."

This homophobic attack, like others mentioned by Llorca, occurs in a context where "I see we are experiencing a regression" concerning LGBT rights. These actions usually involve perpetrators who do not show their faces, as happened with "a banner we had at a football field to denounce LGBT-phobia. When we went to collect it, we found it torn."

For all these reasons, José Ramón Samper, president of Arcoíris Entiende, asserts that "we must continue working on raising awareness. Especially in certain areas where addressing issues of LGBT-phobia or racism remains taboo."

Samper specifically refers to football since "it is not just the top-tier teams; we see it here in local competitions with Third and Fourth division teams. The problem is that it is not reported. We accept an insult like 'faggot' or being insulted by some minors on the street as normal. This does not translate into a report and especially not as a hate crime report."

The president of Arcoíris Entiende explains that it is important to report these incidents as hate crimes because "otherwise, it becomes a street brawl or bullying... but these crimes are defined by law and must be recognized as such by the police so they are recorded."

Samper clarifies that "fortunately, there are not many physical assaults; but like what happened this Saturday in La Vila, where kids are insulting and threatening, it does not get classified as a hate crime. Therefore, we need to raise awareness so that at the slightest incident, people report it to associations and go to the police explaining that it was an insult due to homophobia."

In José Ramón Samper's opinion, there are "more such attacks because certain social groups have lost their fear regarding racist, homophobic actions or gender violence."

This reality is very concerning because it is being detected among younger generations. Adults seem somewhat more aware, but young people feel impunity for insulting others. There is a lack of sensitivity training for these generations. It is challenging for us to give talks in schools or institutes."

Although those responsible for last Saturday's attack in La Creueta Park managed to escape without being detained by Local Police officers, Jaime Santamaría, Councilor for Public Safety in La Vila Joiosa, assured TodoAlicante that officers "are already working to identify them. They are doing so because we do not want a repeat of Saturday's events."

In this regard, Santamaría conveyed "our total rejection of these actions because La Vila is a town with zero tolerance towards people who criticize or insult others for their sexual orientation."

Despite Paco Llorca's statement that similar situations have occurred recently (though without formal complaints and thus not officially recorded), Santamaría assured that "we have no record of this happening frequently. It is an entirely isolated case."

The Councilor for Public Safety added that "we do not have a high rate of such incidents and anyone can walk around La Vila whenever they want with whomever they want without being reproached by anyone."

In conclusion, Jaime Santamaría reiterated that "La Vila stands against these kinds of actions and everyone is welcome regardless of their sexual orientation, religion, race, etc. This government team can only reiterate our strongest condemnation of such actions."