Parlon confirms that the minors detained for the Manresa crime were born in Catalonia and denounces xenophobia

The two minors arrested for the Manresa crime were born in Catalonia. This was confirmed this morning by the Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlon, after speculation, particularly on social media but also in the political sphere, about whether the arrested individuals were immigrant minors, leading to the proliferation of xenophobic attacks. In an interview with Catalunya Ràdio, the minister explained that the Mossos d'Esquadra are working with the hypothesis that the crime occurred during a nighttime fight during the Festa Major which ended with a fatal stabbing.

Parlon insisted that the minors have families and specified that one of them has Catalan parents and the other has immigrant parents, although both young people were born in Catalonia. Asked about messages spread by Ignacio Garriga (Vox) or Sílvia Orriols (Aliança Catalana), Parlon criticized that a "very serious" and painful event is being used to generate "hatred" by making "opportunistic and xenophobic" associations. She warned that one cannot "play with confrontation" or "manipulate information" to generate hatred.

Minute of silence

The victim of the Manresa crime was Carles Vilajosana, a 45-year-old gardener, father of twins who lived in Castellnou de Bages and was a well-known person in the region. The alert reached the Mossos d'Esquadra on Tuesday at 5:10 AM and during the day the first steps of the investigation were taken, which remains open to clarify the motives of the assault and if there are more involved.

The Manresa City Council has decreed a day of mourning and this midday at 12 PM there will be a minute of silence to condemn the crime. In addition, the mayor Marc Aloy announced that the council will present itself as a plaintiff in the case and has denounced that "the extreme right" has spread misinformation about the case that has shocked the municipality. He also asked: "What are we doing wrong for 16-year-olds to carry bladed weapons?".