The murder of Samuel Muñiz, a young homosexual of Brazilian origin who died after being beaten in the streets, has generated a strong wave of protests against homophobia in Spain. In the second (5), there were large protests in cities like Madrid, Barcelona and La Coruña, where the crime took place.
Samuel, 24, was near a walk on the outskirts of La Coruña, a town of about 250,000 inhabitants of Galicia, in northwestern Spain, in the early hours of Saturday (3). At that time, many young people walk in the city to move between bars and clubs. It was the second weekend that nightlife attractions across the country reopened, after restrictions were lifted to contain the pandemic.
Auxiliary nurse, Samuel worked in a retirement home within the Padre Rubinos social entity. Son of a Brazilian, Maxsoud Luiz, and a Spanish, he had lived in Spain since the age of 14 months, according to the Spanish press.
From Friday to Saturday night, the young man was with a few friends near the Playa Club, a bar-club overlooking the sea. One of them picked up a cell phone to answer a video call, according to testimonies cited. by the newspaper La Voz de Galicia. A man passing by, accompanied by a group, thought that the young woman with the cell phone in her hand was recording images of them.
“Stop recording if you don’t want me to kill you, motherfucker,” the assailant threatened, according to a witness. Samuel would have answered: “What fagot? He then punched Samuel and threw him to the ground, but a young man of African descent who was nearby parried the attack.
The attacker moved away, but quickly returned with other friends, who again attacked Samuel, about 200 yards from the site of the first approach. This time the young man was severely beaten by at least seven people, who punched and kicked him. The spanking lasted for about a minute and ended when the group noticed that the victim was no longer moving. Rescue teams were called but were unable to resuscitate Samuel, who died in hospital.
On the shore where the attack took place, near Riazor beach, there are several residential buildings, the Deportivo La Coruña football stadium, a few shops and many cameras, which recorded the second part of the attack. . Police have so far identified seven people as the perpetrators of the attack, and six others who were with the attackers but were not involved in the act. Three defendants have been arrested to date. Police did not release their names, but said they were between 20 and 25 years old and resided in La Coruna.
Authorities are still investigating whether the case was motivated by homophobia. The case sparked a wave of revolt against violence and prejudice against LGBT people. A friend of Samuel’s posted a message on Twitter, which went viral and sparked protests. “They killed him for his sexual orientation,” she wrote.
Then, other reports of attacks on LGBT people in Spain were recalled on social networks and during protests, which drew thousands of people. Political parties and government officials have also spoken out on the case and supported the activists. María Jesús Montero, spokesperson for the Spanish government and Minister of Finance, supported the protests. “It is very important that the social rejection of these attitudes becomes visible [de homofobia], because that way we can fight them and make people stop feeling unpunished, ”he said.
In an interview with Spanish television, Maxsoud, Samuel’s father, asked protesters to put aside political flags and activists to donate. “Let every young person, mother, father, go to a supermarket and buy a packet of rice, a kilo of salt, sugar, and put it in a Red Cross box, to help those in need. It would make us happy. I have faith. that my son would be happy too, ”he said.
The father also said his son did not fight, usually come home drunk or use drugs, and that they never spoke about his homo-emotional orientation.