Barcelona, Spain –
Four people accused of hanging an effigy of Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior from a highway bridge were released on Thursday while still being investigated for a hate crime.
A Spanish judge in Madrid banned the four from trying to contact Vinicius. They also have a temporary ban that prohibits them from entering a 1-kilometer zone around Madrid’s stadiums and training facilities and coming within the same distance as any football stadium between the four hours ago. up to four hours after a match in the Spanish league.
The court statement said the four were also being investigated for attempting to damage Vinicius’ morals. It added that the four chose not to answer the judge’s questions during their first court appearance, in line with their constitutional rights.
The dummy incident occurred on January 26 during the preparations for the derby between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
But it was not until Tuesday that police made arrests amid the public uproar engulfing Spain following the latest racial abuse case targeting Vinicius.
Police on Tuesday also arrested three people accused of verbally insulting Vinicius with racist slurs during Saturday’s game in Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium, where part of the stands will be closed. door for the next five games. Those three have also been released.
The 22-year-old Vinicius, who is black, has been subjected to racist taunts several times since he arrived in Spain five years ago from his native Brazil.
In Spain, hate crimes are usually punishable by one to four years in prison, while crimes against one’s moral integrity are punishable by six to 24 months behind bars.
Also on Thursday, the Spanish Ombudsman’s Office asked the country’s High Sports Council, the government’s sporting authority, to provide more information on discriminatory abuse. race aimed at Vinicius during the match in Valencia. The office said it had received complaints from “two Brazilian civil society organizations” about abuse and that it was in contact with its counterpart in the South American country.
In a statement, the Ombudsman’s Office stated that Spanish law prohibits any act of racism, xenophobia or intolerance during sporting events.
