Torremolinos mayor files 'hate crime' complaint against private club with National Police

The Mayor of Torremolinos, Margarita del Cid, announced today (Friday 10 Januray) that she is going to file a complaint with the National Police against a private club for a hate crime for trying to hold an opening party in the Costa del Sol town in which it has said it will not allow access to people from the LGBT community.

"The good news is that this is not going to happen in Torremolinos, under any circumstances. The bad news for them is that we are going to denounce them for a hate crime and we are going to go as far as it takes to banish these homophobic attitudes," she said.

The controversy was sparked on social media networks, where the Casa Fatima club announced an event in which, among other rules of conduct, it prohibits the entry of “maricones”, a derogatory word used to describe homosexuals.

The mayor reiterated her comments through her social media: "We are not going to consent to these attitudes. Hatred and homophobia have no place here and we are going to do everything in our power to ban this event and any club activity that encourages this regrettable attitude."

The mayor also sent a message of support for the LGBT community: "Torremolinos is a prism of colour and diversity. It is a town where everyone can be whatever they want to be, and this unpleasant episode reminds us that we must not stop defending freedom and human rights."

The mayor herself will present the complaint at the Torremolinos and Benalmádena National Police station, both on behalf of the town hall, and in a personal capacity, for the crimes of defamation and hate speech, as she has been a victim of insults from this private club's social media account directed at her.