Photo credit: Twitter | @dwnews

The ‘Wolf Pack’ rape trial, known as ‘La Manada’ in Spanish, continues to stir emotions on the Iberian peninsula as mass protests took place for a second day over the judgment of the five men found guilty of abusing and raping a young girl (see our related coverage).

The five men, who included a soldier and a Guardia Civil officer, have been found guilty of ‘continuous sexual abuse, an astonishing light sentence for raping a woman and spreading videos of their acts via a group on Whatsapp. The events took place in the lobby of a building in Pamplona in the early hours of 7 July 2016, during the annual San Fermin festival (the running of the bulls).

Related coverage: https://thegoldwater.com/news/24326-Spain-Wolf-Pack-Gang-Rape-Verdict-Draws-Mass-Protests-Video

As emotions hit a high upon hearing that the five would only be sentenced for ‘sexual abuse’ and not for ‘rape’, most Spanish cities have seen mass protests by thousands of people. They are mostly women demanding harsher punishment and the trial to be redone so that there is a national change in attitude amongst Spanish men.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">In spain… La manada , has been ahuge judicial scandal. Shame on Spanish tribunals <a href="https://t.co/6DYw4II9Ta">pic.twitter.com/6DYw4II9Ta</a></p>— josep subirana (@josep_subirana) <a href="https://twitter.com/josep_subirana/status/990127006221250561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2018</a></blockquote>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The lawyers for the state prosecutor, clearly instructed by the government surprised at the greatness of the protests, are now expected to appeal with Navarre’s supreme court in the following week.

Related coverage: https://thegoldwater.com/news/12886-Spanish-Furious-Over-Pamplona-Wolf-Pack-Gang-Rape-Trial

Ms Ana Ollo, the local minister, stated: “The government stands with the majority of its citizens, who yesterday expressed their unhappiness with, and rejection of, the sentence in dozens of places across Navarre,” whilst confirming that it is clear that society “cannot understand how there is no violence or intimidation in a case like this”

“We just cannot understand how the collective assault of women can be seen by some sexist men as a leisure activity that goes unpunished and has become normalised.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The idiots who mistook a girl with a bull.<a href="https://twitter.com/lamanada?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LaManada</a> <a href="https://t.co/22WtsHJGKC">pic.twitter.com/22WtsHJGKC</a></p>— HarmelessFelisDomesticus (@HarmelessFelix) <a href="https://twitter.com/HarmelessFelix/status/990044192310218752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2018</a></blockquote>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Mr Carlos Bacaicoa, a lawyer for the young girl who has remained anonymous throughout the trial, explained that his client had not decided yet whether she wished to appeal against the verdict.

“We need to talk to her to see if she wants to appeal. We feel that it needs to be appealed.”

Source:

http://www.lavanguardia.com/sucesos/20180427/443051228755/la-manada-san-fermin-reacciones-sentencia-juicio-en-directo.html