Human rights groups are outraged after a homeless man was set on fire in Malaga city.
The 44-year-old, from Lithuania, suffered mutliple burns after a flammable liquid was thrown on him and set ablaze while he slept in the Heroe de Sostoa neighbourhood.
The victim was taken via ambulance to Hospital Clinico, although his condition is not thought to be serious, reports Malaga Hoy.
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Police investigating the attack said there have yet to be any arrests. The incident unfolded at around 2.30am on Tuesday.
The Hate Crimes and Diversity section of the Women’s Care Team (EAM), a social resource that cares for victims of any crime, has requested public assistance in identifying the perpetrators.
They branded the assault a ‘serious attack on a homeless person’, with sources indicating that two young men could be behind the attack.
According to the EAM, the victim was a man who was living on the streets and had been in Malaga for a short time.
Aporophobia (hatred of homeless, impoverished or poor people), it said, ‘constitutes a serious social problem regarding the rights and dignity of people in socially vulnerable situations.’
The Arrabal Association, a non-profit operating in Malaga and Cadiz called for ‘justice and real protection for those living on the streets.’
‘Enough violence. No one homeless. No one without rights,’ it added.
