Arson attack against the Mayor in Navas de San Juan

An arson attack against the Mayor in Navas de San Juan in Jaen. The Guardia Civil is investigating the circumstances in which a fire broke out at the door of the home of the mayor, socialist Joaquin Requena, in the early hours of Sunday morning.

According to a spokesperson from the PSOE, the fire started in a rubbish container and then pushed to block the front door. The fire spread to a parked vehicle in front of the house and affected the façade of the building. The head of the government, Catalina Madueño, has described the incident as an “attack” against the mayor and has announced via social networks that investigators are working to identify the perpetrator or perpetrators. Neither the mayor nor his family, who were inside the building at the time of the incident, have suffered any personal injuries.

The arson attack, which broke out at around 4 am, November 15, has caused uproar and a wave of solidarity on social networks. with condemnation from most political forces. The Diputacion de Jaen has called for a rally for next Tuesday, November 16 in front of the mayor’s house. He wants to show solidarity with Requena and his family for an event described as “presumably intentional”.

The PSOE of Jaen said, “The violent men allegedly placed and set fire to a container next to the door of his home, causing fire and damage to a parked vehicle and also the building “.

Previous attacks aimed at Mayor

This is not the first attack aimed at the Mayor. In September 2020, somebody damaged his car. He reported it to the Guardia Civil. the damage to his vehicle and the graffiti against him which read “pintamonas”, “maricón” and “el único virus es el socialismo” (the only virus is socialism). Requena said at the time that these acts would not intimidate him.

Support

The provincial leader of the PSOE, Francisco Reyes, has expressed his confidence that the perpetrators “will be identified and the full weight of the law will be brought down on them”. Reyes described the events as “savagery”, warning that “the lives of many people were in danger”. Reyes warned of the “radical drift of a minority that has come to break coexistence and fan the flames of hatred and confrontation”. “We must put an end to the breeding ground of these radical messages and speeches, which sow tension and resentment because, in the end, we have to end up regretting repugnant aggressions like this one, where people’s lives are at risk”, said the secretary of the socialists from Jaen.

The Partido Popular has also expressed its “absolute repulsion and rejection” of the violent arson attack on the home of the mayor of Navas de San Juan. “It is neither accepted nor understandable that there are people who carry out this type of acts where great hatred can be seen and in this case against a person who carries out a political activity and whose only intention is to work for his municipality and for his neighbours”, the PP has indicated in a statement.

Many other mayors of different political persuasions have shown their solidarity with their colleague from Navas de San Juan.

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