In Terrassa, Spain, a 37-year-old woman was brutally gang-raped in an incident that has sparked public outrage. The assault occurred on March 23rd in a residence in Terrassa, a town near Barcelona. The attack lasted four hours before the woman managed to escape.
The two male suspects were later arrested by the Catalan police, the Mossos d’Esquadra. Both are known to law enforcement, with one of them having over 15 previous police records. Despite this, local Judge Marcos Melendi released them pending trial, a decision that has sparked significant backlash due to the suspects’ criminal backgrounds and the brutality of the crime.
Spanish conservative party VOX has organized a demonstration in Terrassa for Thursday, April 10th, to protest the suspects’ provisional release. The party denounced what it sees as a miscarriage of justice and called for stricter immigration control and harsher penalties for sexual violence. “No more privileges for rapists. Stop importing criminals,” VOX stated.
The protest was set to take place in front of the city hall, where VOX is also demanding accountability from Judge Marcos Melendi for his decision.
The incident comes amid rising concern over sexual violence in Catalonia. In 2024 alone, Terrassa recorded 31 rape cases. According to VOX, 23 of these were committed by immigrants. While the police have declined to release specifics regarding the perpetrators’ origins, VOX claims that approximately 90% of those convicted for sexual offenses in Catalan prisons are of foreign descent. The party warns of a surge in sexual violence and blames current immigration policies as a contributing factor.
