With broken glass in the windows, shattered appliances and a toppled cradle on a floor full of stuffed animals, a tornado appears to have destroyed one of the houses on the slopes of Íllora Castle (Granada, population 10,080). Nothing was left at one of the homes of the relatives of the 23-year-old man arrested in the death of Juan Trujillos, 19, last Monday during dawn celebrations for the patron saint. The illegally squatted house was attacked by a mob with a desire for revenge. Its residents – except for one, who was escorted by the Civil Guard to avoid being lynched – had fled hours earlier, both from this and the family clan’s other five properties, which were attacked by neighbors. “It has to be a turning point: either they or us,” José Manuel Muñoz, local People’s Party spokesman, said through tears during an extraordinary plenary session that served to suspend mass and declare a three-day official mourning. “We’re going to try exile, that’s very clear,” added PSOE mayor Antonio Salazar on Canal Sur.
The boy’s death is the only topic of conversation in Íllora. It’s in the tobacconist, in the bakery, in the churrería and on the terrace of every bar. The words radiate anger and sadness. They also contain a story that coincides thanks to the witnesses. According to his description, the victim left the youth hut on Diego-de-Siloé-Straße with his girlfriend at around seven o’clock on Monday morning. The attackers approached him looking for one of his friends with whom they had been arguing over an accidentally spilled drink. They pushed him, he fell to the ground and hit his head. According to those present, he was then kicked several times. Minutes later, the ambulance took him to Granada, 35 kilometers away, where, according to the emergency call 112 Andalusia, he entered the traumatology area, already deceased. Several girls suffered from anxiety attacks and another young man was hospitalized with a broken shoulder. “Juan was unlucky to meet some very destructive people,” says a boy who witnessed part of what happened.
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In a city that lives in fear, patience is at an end, which is why no neighbor wants to give his name. They fear new outbreaks of violence, such as those recently committed by the alleged attacker’s relatives. Two years ago, they beat up the owner of one of the bars and later Juan Álvarez, the municipality’s former mayor. “He suddenly hit me as I was crossing a pedestrian crossing with my grandson,” he recalls. Last May, one of them attacked – in a record – the watchmaker, who defended himself with a shot and is in prison for it. “People walk away when they pass, there’s fear to look at them. But no one denounces for fear of the possible consequences,” insist other neighbors.
The last stall owners loaded the bumper cars onto a rusty trailer next to the youth stand on Wednesday. Now in silence and from which you can see the cemetery where the boy was buried this Tuesday. At the spot where he died hangs a short banner pleading for justice for Juan. It’s the ones that a group of neighbors who took part in a folk concentration on Monday tried to take over themselves. The march was peaceful until it ceased to be. Scores of people broke into several homes belonging to the alleged attacker’s family to demolish them, shouting “We’re not afraid” and “Get out of town.” Social networks show videos overturning a car and burning a bicycle to cheers and applause before the Civil Guard – who have launched an investigation to denounce those responsible for the revolt – intervene. “These people must be driven out of the city, they cannot go on for another day,” said José Manuel Muñoz at the extraordinary plenary session held hours earlier. “We all know each other here and if they kill a child, it was foreseeable that there would be a response from the population,” says a local resident.
While the clashes were going on, the search for the alleged attacker and his brother continued. The first – believed to be the only person directly responsible for the boy’s death – turned himself in to Granada Command on Tuesday midday. He was arrested on alleged homicide charges. He will go to court this Thursday and testify before the Loja Order No. 1 Court of First Instance. According to sources in the case, he has no criminal record, which rules out new arrests for the time being.
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“The people of Íllora want to kick him and his family out, but we can’t banish them, that’s legally impossible,” Mayor Antonio Salazar puts his words into perspective on Andalusian public television. Visibly tired, he celebrates that the situation has calmed down after the arrest and the funeral. He trusts that justice will prevent the aggressor from returning. “The atmosphere is difficult to describe. There is sadness, anger, rage, pessimism… and even conformism: in the end you have to keep going,” stresses Gitano, who has been criticized by the Fundación Secretariado Gitano because his statements can fuel hatred these days. Also the Fakali Association of Gypsy Women’s Associations denounced the attacks Monday before the hate crimes prosecutor’s office. The events are similar to those that happened in Peal del Becerro (Jaén) just a month ago.
What nobody knows is what will happen when the attacker’s large family – about twenty people – decide to end his exile and return to the village. They have lived in the five homes attacked this week for nearly two decades. They are spread throughout the city and two of them are illegally occupied. Nobody wants them in Íllora. “I think the real problem hasn’t started yet. Soon it will be mixed again,” another neighbor warns angrily. There is tension. And there are mixed messages of threats on social media. The Guardia Civil warns against defending the family in the face of new lynching attempts. “Our duty is to enforce the law,” they remind residents of a community in full swing.
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