Galician city acknowledges contribution of men who intervened in homophobic attack
The attack in 2021 resulted in the death of Samuel Luiz in the city of A Coruña.
In July 2021, Samuel Luiz - a 24-year-old man - was violently attached by a group of men outside a nightclub in the Galician city of A Coruña.
Following the attack, Luiz died in hospital - unable to recover from the injuries he'd sustained.
The attack and subsequent death of Samuel Luiz sparked outrage and condemnation across Spain. The trail of the attackers found that the motivation was homophobia - homophobic insults had been directed at Luiz during the attack. A jury found four men guilty of the murder of Samuel Luiz. Sentences ranged from 10 to 24 years.
During the investigation of the attack, the authorities obtained security footage that showed bystanders watching as the attack unfolded - some filming on their phones. The footage showed that only two men intervened to try and stop what was happening. Those two men were Ibrahima Diack and Magatte N'Diaye.
This week, in a formal ceremony, the city of A Coruña has recognised the bravery of Diack and N'Diaye - granting them "adopted sons of the city" status as a reward for the heroism they displayed.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mayor Inés Rey described the actions of Diack and N'Diaye as "pure altruism".
Not only did Diack and N'Diaye put themselves in harm's way in trying to intervene in the attack, but at the time they were undocumented migrants - having arrived in Spain from Senegal.
At the time of the attack, Diack and N'Diaye were living in A Coruña without residency papers, getting by on irregular work. They were at risk of arrest and deportation if they came into contact with authorities.
Diack and N'Diaye took part in the investigation of the attack and were witnesses in the trial of the men charged with killing Samuel Luiz.
"That two undocumented migrants were the only ones who physically risked themselves to help the victim of a pack thirsting for horror leaves much food for thought and a series of lessons..." said Mayor Rey during the ceremony.
Speaking to the media at the ceremony, Diack and N'Diaye said that they had just done what they thought was the right thing to do.
"We are not heroes, we did what we had to do..." said N'Diaye.
"I was born in a family that doesn't have much but they gave me many things more valuable than money..." said Diack. "They gave me respect, education and above all, values."
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