Hate crime arrests in Benidorm

THE National Police have made four arrests – two in Benidorm, one in Ponteverde, Galicia and another in Madrid – for inciting violence against people with disabilities.

The four suspects are accused of composing, performing and publishing offensive, discriminatory and xenophobic statements and were aged between 21 and 37.

However, sources would not divulge whether the pair who were arrested in Benidorm were part of the gang or if they were engaged solely in sharing offensive material of a violent nature via social media.

ONCE, a registered charity Spanish foundation founded in in 1938 to raise funds and provide services for the blind, filed a formal complaint with the National Police after hearing and viewing an offensive and inciting music video online accompanied by lyrics that expressed the desire to threaten and kill the disabled. Other specific groups under attack were the gay community, the church, the monarchy and also those with Down’s syndrome.

A total of 30 videos were discovered through a known website, which led to police enquiries and to the eventual arrests.