Violence on public transit has long been a concern for everyday travelers. From random stabbings in the NYC subway to shootings in Philadelphia, people (and women especially) are on edge about being the victim of violent crime during their daily commute. But this isn’t just a US problem–we’re seeing violent attacks against women in countries like the UK, Spain, and France as well.
One recent incident has put a further spotlight on the issue and caused an uproar in the community. Shortly before 10 a.m. on Friday, February 9th, a man was caught on video randomly attacking women on the metro platform at the Camp de l’Arpa station in Barcelona. He is seen walking up to several women and striking them for no discernable reason.
After slapping two women across the face, the man walks up to an unsuspecting woman looking at her phone and brings his arm barreling into the side of her face, causing her to collapse on the ground. It’s a disgusting and shocking display of violence that has people around the world scared and furious.
“There’s a lot of pure evil out there right now,” said one commenter.
“This is exactly why I stand against a wall and don’t get too into my phone or anything when somewhere like this,” said another. “Freaks like this everywhere.”
After assaulting the woman in the video, the man reportedly assaulted two bystanders who chased after him and tried to apprehend him. Thankfully, the man was quickly restrained by nearby security guards and arrested. The police were able to identify him right away, as he reportedly has a history of criminal activities in the Sant Martí area including several thefts and robberies.
Surprisingly, because the police initially thought he had committed only a minor assault, they released him, intending to summon him to court at a later date. “At the time of the events, only one of the victims was at the station, who had minor injuries. That is not a reason for arrest,” said a spokesperson for Via Lliure.
After viewing CCTV footage, however, they quickly realized that his attacks were much worse than originally thought. According to police, he assaulted at least twelve women unprovoked. The girl in the video also suffered serious injuries, with a perforated eardrum as a result of the attack. When they realized the extent of his crimes, they re-arrested him and took him into custody later that night. His name has still not been released.
Although he attacked at least 12 women, only one victim has come forward to file a complaint thus far. The police have asked for any other potential victims of his to come forward and speak up about their experience. Because all of the attacks were against women, the Hate Crimes Unit has taken over the investigation to see whether the attack can be charged as a gender-based hate crime.
Both the Minister of Equality and Feminisms and the Transports Metropolitans of Barcelona have condemned the attacks on women. But although this attacker is in police custody and will answer for his crimes, the issue of violence against women isn’t going away anytime soon.
