- Rubén Rosón and Jorge Fernández confirmed before the judge on September 30 the beating they received at the San Mateo festivities.
- The Police attribute hate crime to the six identified individuals as perpetrators. Five are detained and on provisional release.
- It all started when the group tore down a banner with the rainbow flag and an anti-racist banner from a booth.
The LGTBIfobic aggression in Oviedo during the San Mateo festivities reaches the courts. On September 30, Rubén Rosón and Jorge Fernández, from the Assembly Moza d’Asturies (AMA), confirmed before the judge that they received a “brutal beating” for ideological reasons. They were punched and kicked amidst insults like “faggots.”
What happened at the San Mateo festivities?
The aggression occurred in the early morning, during the first night of the San Mateo festivities, in the square of the Cathedral of Oviedo. According to the Police, a group tore down an anti-racist banner and a skirt with the rainbow flag from a booth. When the two activists intervened, they were assaulted.
The victims report that they were punched and kicked, even when they were already on the ground, and that they were insulted with phrases like “pigs, shit reds, faggots” and shouts of “Arriba España.” Rosón needed stitches for a head wound and Fernández lost consciousness for a few moments. Both had to go to the hospital. Several people recorded the aggression on video.
Why is it being investigated as a hate crime?
The Police attribute a hate crime to the six identified individuals because they believe the motivation was homophobic, not an episode of sports violence. According to Público, investigators link the expressions used to the “doctrine of far-right groups.”
The Provincial Information Brigade arrested five adult men. The sixth identified person is studying abroad. Four of them are also charged with assault. According to Público, all six belong to Symmachiarii, the ultra group of Real Oviedo.
The government delegate in Asturias, Adriana Lastra, and the head of the National Police, José Ignacio Moreno, confirmed that it is being investigated as a homophobic hate crime. The Observatory against LGTBIfobia asked the Government of the Principality to join as a popular accusation.
What is the status of the case?
The court released the five detained individuals provisionally, with a restraining order from the victims and the obligation to remain linked to the investigation.
In his statement on September 30, Fernández responded to the defense: “In response to what the defense lawyers said about them being young people from good families…” And he added that he trusts the process will demonstrate that “justice is applied equally to all”. Rosón insisted that “this cannot happen again, that it is not an anecdote.”
The victims requested to meet with the mayor of Oviedo, Alfredo Canteli, but they say the meeting has not taken place: “We hope that a possible conviction in the trial does not have to happen for him to meet with us.”
The response in the street
About 2,500 people, according to the National Police, gathered on September 19 in the square of the City Hall of Oviedo, in an event called by the AMA. They shouted “You are not alone” and “Canteli, resignation.” Afterward, there was a music festival, “We Are More,” with artists like Rozalén and Rodrigo Cuevas.
“We are going to stop the fascists,” Fernández said to the crowd.
You may be interested: the homophobic aggression against a councilor in Murcia and the transphobic aggression in the Hospital del Mar.
Frequently asked questions
Who are the victims of the aggression in Oviedo?
Rubén Rosón and Jorge Fernández, activists of the Assembly Moza d’Asturies.
Are there any detained individuals?
Yes. The Police arrested five men and have identified a sixth person who is abroad.
What crimes are they accused of?
Of hate crime, and four of them are also charged with assault.
Are they in prison?
No. They are on provisional release, with a restraining order from the victims.
