Racism and homophobia are behind 70% of hate crimes reported in Malaga province

It was in the early hours of the morning around the end of April when several passengers recorded how at least five individuals between the ages of 24 and 36 assaulted a man of Arab origin at Malaga Airport. Although witnesses pointed to a dispute between licenced and irregular taxi drivers as the cause for the brawl, Spain's National Police force stated that most of the suspects were linked to a radical ideological group, with previous convictions for similar acts of hate crime. This is one of the highlighted Malaga province cases in the hate crime statistics for last year. A total of 43 hate crimes were recorded, more than 70% of which were motivated by racism and homophobia.

There were 17 incidents linked to racist and xenophobic behaviour and 14 related to homophobic or transphobic attacks. Published by the Ministry of the Interior, this data shows that these ideologies are the main drivers of hatred in Malaga province. The reason? According to expert sources, behind these perceptions stand the polarisation of people as a consequence of "a policy in which society is incited to search for an enemy" and the dissemination of hate speeches.

One example was the case of an establishment in Torremolinos - a town that has been historically linked to the LGBT+ community - that banned "maricones" (gays) from attending a party earlier in the year.

Not even four months later, again in Torremolinos, two young men were enjoying a night out in the emblematic neighbourhood of La Nogalera when they were attacked from behind by at least four individuals, who shouted "Maricones!" at them. It was 4.30am and the victims, who had come from Madrid for a short holiday, were beaten up without being able to defend themselves.

Despite this, 2024 experienced a decrease in the upward trend in hate crimes that had been observed since the pandemic and which in 2023 showed a significant upturn with 81 cases, with racism and xenophobia (19) and homophobia and transphobia (20) once again in the lead. Therefore, 2024 saw a decrease of 46.91% of hate crimes compared to 2023 but, on the other hand, an increase of 38.71% compared to 2020.

The report drawn up by minister Grande-Marlaska's department also includes other grounds for discrimination, although with a very low incidence. These include one case of discrimination on grounds of sex or gender, two linked to Islamophobia, three to religious beliefs, two to antisemitism, two to discrimination on grounds of illness and another to dysphobia (related to people with disabilities). In addition to these, there was one case classified as an administrative offence.

The Ministry of the Interior also recently registered a case of hostility towards the poor, when a homeless man was reportedly doused with a flammable liquid while rough sleeping in Malaga city. The incident took place at the end of July. Although the man's injuries were not serious, he had to be taken to hospital.

According to the statistics, the security forces in charge of prosecuting these crimes arrested or investigated 17 cases in the province: eight for racist attacks, seven for homophobic attacks, one for religious beliefs or practices and another for discrimination of illness. In addition, the officers cleared up 37 cases (86%).

In 2024, Andalucía as a whole recorded a total of 497 hate crime incidents, which represents a drop of 14.7% compared to 2023. Seville is at the top, with 74 incidents, followed by Malaga, Cadiz (41), Huelva (11) and Jaén (20) - a ranking also explained by the population of each of the provinces. However, in relative terms, Almeria has one of the highest provincial rates in Spain, with 6.48 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, placing it among the top ten provinces in the country.