Just hours after a fatal stabbing at Manresa’s festival, far-right parties in Catalonia began blaming migrants for the violence, despite police confirming the suspects are Spanish minors, not Maghrebi immigrants. The killing of Carles Vilajosana, a 45-year-old father, quickly became a political flashpoint as rumors and false claims spread online and in the streets.
Sílvia Orriols, leader of Aliança Catalana, was among the first to accuse “Moroccan minors” of the attack. She posted inflammatory messages and shared AI-generated posters to rally supporters. Vox soon echoed the claims, calling for protests against what it described as a surge in crime linked to foreign youth. Both parties ignored official statements and fueled public anger with unverified accusations.
Catalonia’s Interior Ministry said both detained suspects are Spanish citizens, one with Moroccan parents, and both have family ties in Manresa. That did little to slow the far-right mobilization. Hundreds gathered in the city’s basic square, demanding justice and tougher measures against youth crime. The victim’s family, including his sister Yolanda Vilajosana, joined calls for answers, but some attendees later said they felt political groups had used them to exploit their grief.
Junts per Catalunya, in the future to next year’s municipal elections, also toughened its stance, suggesting that foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes should be deported after serving their sentences. The suspects in this case, but, are not foreign nationals. The city’s mayor, Marc Aloy, condemned the spread of false information and warned against blaming entire communities based on origin. He said the real issue is youth violence, not immigration status.
Residents of Les Escodines, where the stabbing happened, described ongoing problems with local youth gangs, including the two suspects, Pere O. and Otman A. Both have prior records for violent offenses. The fatal incident happened during a nighttime brawl between two groups of four to five people at the Festa Major, not in a targeted attack by migrants. Authorities have placed both detained minors in closed custody; one is also receiving therapeutic treatment. Investigators are still searching for two additional suspects from the same group. Some Maghrebi residents said they felt unfairly targeted. They pointed out that they too suffer from the actions of a few while facing racist backlash. The sense of insecurity is real, even though official crime statistics show Manresa’s rate is below the Catalan average and violent robberies have recently decreased.
In the days since the killing, public marches and silent vigils have filled Manresa’s streets. Nearly a thousand people walked from Plaça Neus Català to city hall in a demonstration without party banners, honoring Vilajosana and expressing frustration with violence. City officials have urged caution over alarmist rhetoric, warning that exaggerated claims of lawlessness can fuel fear and division.
Calls for harsher penalties and stricter controls on youth offenders have grown louder, echoing similar debates across Spain. As reported earlier, one of the suspects had recently been released from a juvenile center after a previous stabbing, raising questions about the effectiveness of current juvenile justice measures.
In Manresa, political actors moved quickly to use the tragedy for their own ends. The facts, Spanish minors with prior records, not foreign migrants, were quickly drowned out by a campaign of misinformation. The episode shows how easily public pain can be hijacked to inflame tensions, and how fragile social trust becomes when facts are ignored for political gain. For Manresa and Catalonia, confronting youth violence will require honest debate and real solutions, not scapegoating or opportunism.
