Simon Hunter
A MEMBER of one of the committees in charge of creating the huge papier-mache fallas at the Valencia fiestas of the same name has been hospitalised after suffering a homophobic attack at this year’s event.
Tomasos-Carles Cervera was attacked late on Saturday night after being followed by a group of four people who began verbally abusing him and a companion.
The other man was able to escape, but Cervera was assaulted with a glass bottle, according to news agency EFE.
The victim was on Thursday still receiving hospital treatment, after undergoing a four-hour surgery on Wednesday on his jaw.
The president of the falla in question, Vicente Valero, complained that the area where the attack happened, Russafa, has become a ‘lawless place’.
‘We need security at night,’ he said. ‘It’s the centre of Valencia and we don’t see any police. You can’t move for people drinking on the street and when there are homophobic people, this is what happens,’ he said, in reference to the attack.
Valencia’s Fallas fiestas are celebrated from March 1 to 19 in the city, and feature the noisy mascleta firework display and then culminate with the burning of the elaborate papier-mache figures on the night of the 19th.
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