Rabat – A 38-year-old Spanish Muslim woman wearing a headscarf has been physically assaulted by a group of youth in the south of Madrid, reported Spanish news outlet, El Pais.
The assault came following the Barcelona terror attacks, which sparked a wave of racist rhetoric and violence targeting Muslims in particular.
The incident took place in the Usera metro station. The young suspects insulted and beat the woman because she was wearing a hijab and appeared to be a Muslim, leaving her with physical and mental trauma, El Pais added.
El Pais added that Spanish authorities are considering the incident an Islamophobic hate crime.
The assault victim told Spanish police that she was unable to make out the suspects’ faces.
An investigation has been carried out by Madrid’s Diversity Management Unit, but no arrests have been made so far.
On August 19, three Moroccan boys aged between 13 and 17 were victims of a physical assault by two adults in the region of Navarre, in a similar Islamophobic act of violence.
The three boys had been taking part in a moment of silence on Saturday to honor the dead of the Barcelona attack on Thursday, which has been attributed to a group of young Moroccans.
After the moment of silence was over, the three boys tried to enter one of the region’s shops but were denied entry from a woman, who insulted them.
As they were heading back to their homes, they were followed by a car driven by two men. They then came out of the car and started beating the boys with sticks, Salhi said, leaving them with injuries.
The families of the victims filed legal complaints, and the two men, aged 55 and 18, were arrested on
August 21
