The Court of Barcelona has sentenced five agents of the Mossos d'Esquadra to one year in prison, a fine of 300 euros and six months of disqualification for a crime of attack against moral integrity, with the aggravating circumstance of racism, and a slight lack of injuries. The five have admitted to having assaulted a detainee for racist reasons in an eviction operation in a building in Sant Feliu de Sasserra (Barcelona) on January 10, 2019 in which agents of the Operational Resources Area (ARRO) participated.

A sixth officer was also sentenced to the same prison terms and fine although he did not participate in the attack but is implicated for failing to stop the attack. That is why the aggravating factor of racism does not apply to it. At first, the Prosecutor's Office asked for three and a half years in prison for the six Mossos in addition to four years of disqualification while the popular accusation, exercised by Sos Racisme, claimed six years in prison since it considered that they should be sentenced for torture.

However, the accusations and the lawyers of the agents, including José María Fuster-Fabra and Carles Monguilod, have reached an agreement and the prison sentence was reduced to one year, the disqualification to practice as police to six months and a fine of 300 euros. The convicts consigned 30,000 euros and that is why the court applied the mitigating circumstance of reparation of the damage although they must compensate the victim with 80,000 euros for moral and physical damages during detention. In addition, the six are suspended from prison on condition that they do not commit crimes for three years and complete a program of equal treatment and non-discrimination. During the conformity trial, the court expelled two people for shouting "racists" at the officers.

The prosecutor's qualification indicates that on January 10, 2019, the victim, Wubi, was intercepted by agents when he left his home in Sant Feliu Sasserra during a police operation for an eviction in the same block. The officers identified him and began assaulting him despite not noticing that the man had activated a recorder. Thus, you can hear insults and racist comments from those now convicted such as: "Son of a bitch", "black shit", "you are a monkey", "black shit", "Kunta", "the next time you see the police run, but try to go too far, go further away from Africa", "I am racist, a lot, but if you were white I would have hit you anyway".

"Please leave me alone, I am human like you," Wubi is later heard saying in the recording provided as evidence in this procedure but one of the agents replies: "You are a monkey, it is what you are." The victim managed to escape and one of the agents fired into the air, so he stopped and was reduced again, assaulted and insulted.

After the complaint was made public and the start of the trial, the General Directorate of the Mossos d'Esquadra changed the destination of these six agents as a precautionary measure while the Parliament asked the Interior to suspend them from employment and salary to those involved in the racist aggression. Now, they are disqualified from serving as police officers for six months but avoid prison.

  • Mossos d'Esquadra
  • Africa
  • Alberto Fabra
  • Justice