The right-wing Vox party in this Barcelona-area town said an immigrant from North Africa’s Maghreb region sexually assaulted a minor under the age of 15 during the local patron saint festival. The right-wing party is using the incident to once again call for the deportation of criminal immigrants.
In a statement released July 8, the VOX municipal group in Polinyà said the assault occurred during the town’s annual festivities. Spokesperson Siquem Cobacho criticized the local council’s security management and urged stricter immigration controls.
Cobacho said that despite measures introduced by Mayor Javi Silva, including promises of greater police presenc, “the women and girls of our municipality are increasingly afraid to go out alone to enjoy the festivals in their town.”
The party condemned what it described as the city council’s silence on the incident and demanded an immediate official statement.
“We are still waiting for the statement from the City Council denouncing these events. When do you plan to react?” Cobacho said.
Cobacho linked the assault to regional immigration and security policies. He said that according to available data, 91 percent of sexual assaults and rapes in Catalonia are committed by foreigners, a situation he attributed to the government of regional President Salvador Illa and his coalition partners.
Overall, in Spain, foreigners commit 500 percent more rapes than Spaniards, 400 percent more murders, according to available data.
Vox Polinyà argued that temporary measures are insufficient and called for a fundamental shift in security policy.
“The only real solution is mass deportations,” the statement said. “We do not want more prisons or more arrests; we demand the expulsion of all criminal immigrants. At VOX we are clear: order, security and deportations.”
The statement did not provide further details about the alleged assault or any police investigation.
