FIVE people have been arrested after a Moroccan bricklayer was left with a triple jaw fracture following a horror racist attack during a festival in Valencia province.
Footage shared on social media shows the sickening moment the victim, named by officials as Mohamed M., was set upon by a group of youths and savagely beaten.
The 31-year-old was punched and kicked by the gang for at least five minutes during patron saint festivities in Taverners de la Valldigna on the evening of September 19.
The assault was only brought to an end when several women intervened, with one reportedly placing herself between Mohamed and his attackers.
During the attack, the group can be heard shouting ‘to Morocco, to Morocco’, as well as ‘hit him’ and ‘son of a bitch’.
Mohamed, who works as a bricklayer and rents a room in the town, was rushed to hospital with a triple fracture to his jaw.
The injury required surgery and the fitting of a prosthesis, which he is likely to have to wear for the rest of his life.
He spent 10 days at Valencia’s Clinico Hospital and was left barely able to open his mouth following the operation.
Speaking to El Pais through a friend, Mohamed said the attackers had started beating him without provocation.
The Guardia Civil have arrested three adult men and two male minors in connection with the attack.
The suspects were detained on Wednesday and Thursday, with the three adults due to appear before a judge on Friday on suspicion of serious assault and a hate crime.
Most of the suspects are understood to be local residents of Tavernes de la Valldigna, a small town of around 18,000 people located 55 kilometres from Valencia.
The case has also shone a spotlight on a second violent incident reported in the town on the same night.
Just minutes before Mohamed was attacked, a 20-year-old man of Senegalese descent was assaulted by several people.
He also required surgery after suffering a broken jaw.
However, the Guardia Civil have stressed that the two incidents are unrelated, involving different alleged perpetrators and different motives.
No hate crime has been lodged in relation to the second assault, according to local police.
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