Barcelona Police Under Investigation for Alleged Racist Assault on Moroccan Man

In his complaint, the Moroccan explained that he was the victim of racist insults and assault by the local police officers in Cornellà (Barcelona). "They beat me because I’m Moroccan," he said. The events date back to the early morning of October 24, 2022 and are reported in a video recorded by the plaintiff, according to El Diario. In this video, one of the agents can be heard addressing the young man in these terms: "Fuck off, I’m going to blow your head off." Imad claims he was also called a "fucking Moor".

While he was walking along the sidewalk with a friend, a police car stopped behind them and five officers pounced on him, Imad recounted on Thursday, during the presentation of the annual report of Iridia, a human rights defense association, on institutional violence. "They grabbed me by the arms, asked me for my papers and insulted me," the Moroccan confided, specifying that he had been beaten with a baton and received blows to the arms, chest and head. In the end, he lost a tooth and suffered several facial injuries.

The young man managed to film part of the scene with his cell phone before the agents noticed it and threw the device in the trash. The video was archived on the phone, although the agents had deleted it, the victim points out, who called the emergency services, who transferred him to the hospital. Due to the injuries sustained, he decided to file a complaint with the Mossos d’Esquadra. But they sent him back to the police station where the two agents who had allegedly assaulted him work. Finally, he filed a complaint with the court.

To investigate the case, the Cornellà court has opened an investigation for alleged crimes of injury and obstruction of justice, and racist discrimination. The investigation is ongoing. Imad, for his part, is marked by this experience. He says he now feels "frightened" when he passes a police station and claims that his mental health has deteriorated: "I’m not like I used to be. I’m always very nervous. I no longer go out to party since this happened and every time I see a patrol, I’m afraid," he concluded.