Rabat – A prosecutor in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta has requested jail sentences against two Spanish nationals for using a compressed air rifle against a Moroccan minor in May.
El Faro de Ceuta reports that the attack against the Moroccan minor took place amid the crisis that emerged after the influx of thousands of Moroccan migrants in the enclave in mid-May.
Some people took advantage of the situation to “carry out revenge actions against adults and minors who entered Ceuta,” according to the report.
In one of the reported incidents, one of the suspects facing jail sentences used a compressed air rifle against a Moroccan minor publicly; his friend – the other suspect – filmed the scene and appeared to cheer him up.
The two men wanted to mock the Moroccan minor, according to El Faro de Ceuta, adding that the victim of the attack suffered injuries that required stitches.
Five months after the event, the Public Prosecutor Office in the Spanish enclave is now classifying the incident as a “crime of incitement to hatred and discrimination.”
The prosecutor requested that the two face sentences of four years in prison each.
He also asked for a five-year prison sentence for the injuries the minor sustained during the attack.
Each of the defendants will have to also pay €3,000 for non-pecuniary damages.
“The Public Ministry considers that both defendants wanted to show a spirit of revenge against the group from the Maghreb that roamed the different areas of the city,” El Faro de Ceuta reported, adding that the incident caused popular uproar and protests as many people condemned the two men’s action.
