Young musician allegedly punched in face after refusing to play guitar in Mijas
The victim, 23, was treated at Malaga's Hospital Regional after being assaulted in the town centre in the early hours of the morning
A 23-year-old musician was punched in the face by another young man in the early hours of 28 September, during the international competition of 'tunas' (traditional music bands with historical connections) in Mijas. The incident happened around 6am, after the victim, who was one of the 250 participants, refused to play the guitar.
According to his statement, his friends had started to walk to their accommodation a few minutes before him. He was walking alone when he encountered his assailant, who was reportedly between 18 and 20 years old, at the corner of Avenida del Compás and Plaza de la Constitución.
The victim was dressed in traditional 'tuna' clothes and had his guitar in his hand, which reportedly sparked the other man's interest. The latter asked him, apparently in a rather rude manner, to play the guitar. According to the musician, such situations are common at night, when he and his colleagues are seen walking dressed accordingly, especially if they cross paths with people who have spent the night partying. As on other occasions, he simply said 'no' and continued on his way.
It was then when the other young man allegedly punched him in the mouth, without saying a word. According to the victim, the friends accompanying the assailant - one male and two young women - immediately tried to prevent him from causing more harm. The aggressor started shouting: "You are telling me 'no'? I'll kill you." His friends apparently held him back and ordered him to stop.
The musician said that he couldn't even take in the appearance of his aggressor due to the shock. He also hadn't realised how serious the injury was until he went to his accommodation, where his friends saw that part of his lip had detached and was "hanging". His clothes were covered in blood.
They immediately went to the health centre and from there to Hospital Costa del Sol in Marbella. However, he was eventually operated on by a maxillofacial surgeon at the Hospital Regional in Malaga. Once discharged, he went to the Guardia Civil in Fuengirola to report the incident.
Despite the investigation, the young man believes that the police won't be able to find the assailant. "It's a shame that, as beautiful as Mijas is and with all the fun we had, I had to come across a person like this, who uses violence for no reason," the young musician said.
