Spanish Teen’s Death Echoes George Floyd Case, Sparks Racism Debate

It took the Spanish daily El País website to publish a video of rare violence for internet users to make the connection between the Iliass Tahiri case and that of George Floyd, an African-American who died of asphyxiation during a police intervention. "Racism is global, we will not be silent. Iliass Tahiri, 18 years old (Spain), died under the same conditions as #GeorgeFloyd. #IliassTahiri #StopRacism," reacted an internet user on Twitter.

The Iliass Tahiri case dates back to July 1, 2019. This 18-year-old Moroccan died of asphyxiation "by six people - a center manager and five security guards" - in a juvenile center - under state guardianship - in Almería, in southern Spain, the Spanish newspaper recalls. That day, the alleged perpetrators had to subdue Iliass Tahiri, described as "a difficult child who had already been through several youth shelters." The young man would have tried to commit suicide. But the method used by the guards was "out of protocol."

The surveillance camera footage of the room in question, broadcast in full on June 9 (the scene lasts thirteen minutes), bears witness to this. "We see [these] six people take the young man - handcuffed with his hands behind his back - into a small room, they place him face down on a small bed and tie his feet, hands and torso, and immobilize him simultaneously by pressing on him, who was face down the whole time," the same source describes, specifying that the young Maghrebi never showed any resistance.

"But what we see is that one of the security guards of the center - once the boy is face down and subdued on the bed - places his knee near the head and presses with all his weight," it is specified.

Contrary to all expectations, the investigating judge in charge of the case had, last January, concluded that it was an "accidental sudden death." She had also dismissed the case. Iliass Tahiri’s family has filed an appeal, which is still under consideration.