On July 8, 2016, a A girl was gang raped by five people At the San Fermín bull-running festival in Pamplona. The horrific attack led to a legal case that gripped Spain and led to changes in national laws related to gender-based violence.
“Lucia” was raped by a group of young men traveling from Seville to the festival. The members – one of whom was an officer in Spain’s Civil Guard – proudly shared details of the attack via WhatsApp, referring to themselves as a “wolf pack” (pack,
As the festivities began, posters and banners hung on buildings in Pamplona’s old town issued warnings, reminding festival-goers that sexual violence would not be tolerated.
These banners, and the rape that occurred despite their presence, are a strong reminder of gender politics and gender violence in Spain that are fueling the country’s “culture wars”, with feminists and anti-feminists taking increasingly polarized positions.
Advances in women’s rights have also resulted in a strong reaction; The far-right party Vox has been formed Repeal of sexual violence laws an election promise While feminists are often called “feminazis”.
The case became a focus of feminist activism in the aftermath of the attack and the subsequent trial. As it became clear that this would be a trial by media, focusing on the victims as well as the perpetrators, hashtags and demonstrations gained momentum: #sisterIbelieveyou was Spain’s #metoo.
The perpetrators were initially found guilty of the lesser crime of sexual assault in a trial that ended in April 2018, as the prosecution was unable to clearly prove that the victim had not consented. But many women viewed the verdict with anger, fearful that Spain’s legal system was seen to perpetuate gender violence.
Following a wave of high-profile protests across the country and the world, an appeal was made to the Supreme Court of Spain in 2019 justice secured The victim and her supporters demanded that five members of the gang be convicted of rape and their sentences increased from nine to 15 years.
Now, a powerful new netflix documentaryYou’re Not Alone: Fighting the Wolf Pack details the forensically horrific story that exposes the deeply ingrained sexism and misogyny that runs rampant in Spanish society and culture.
fighting wolf pack
The film was written, produced and directed by wife and husband team Almudena Carracedo and award-winning director Robert Bahr. silence of othersA film about the search for justice for the victims Spain’s dictatorship under General Franco,
For the filmmakers of You’re Not Alone, one of the difficulties in making a documentary about the Culture Wars case is that the story was framed by opposing viewpoints: those of feminists seeking to protect women’s rights, and anti-feminists who fear the loss of men’s rights.
The young woman’s legal team said she surrendered to the attack because she was paralyzed by fear, while the men’s defense attorneys, parts of the media, and supporters of the Wolf Pack accused her of lying and manipulation. Was accused. In the media storm, truth becomes elusive. For this reason, the documentary makes the revelation of the truth its central mission.
search for truth
The process of making the film was laborious and relied on viewing and editing thousands of hours of archive material, interviews and CCTV footage, taking three and a half years to produce.
Viewers follow the police’s forensic evidence-gathering and detective work in piecing together the actions of the rapists in this case and a previous sexual assault they committed for which they were later sentenced to an additional 18 months.
The film is a mosaic that takes a multimedia approach to unearth the truth. This includes CCTV footage, media coverage, social media posts by those attacking and supporting the victim, multiple testimonies from police, authorities, legal representatives, social workers, the mother of Nagor Lafage – a young woman murdered by a co-worker in Pamplona. Contains the story of. Weaved in – and was found guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting the gang’s second victim.
Most importantly, it is presented through the voice of the victim “Lucia” herself, whose name has been changed and whose words are narrated by an actress.
power of opposition
Indeed, Lucia is not alone and she draws strength and courage from the millions of women (and men) across Spain who took to the streets and social media after the trial to express their outrage at the crime and the original sentence.
as with Protest against rape culture in Chile Led by the feminist collective Lastasis, these protests went viral and global. News coverage of the Wolf Pack case reached international channels, and women protested in solidarity in Dublin, London, Rome, Lisbon, Berlin, Paris and Sydney – all of which is shown in the documentary.
The film reproduces tweets and hashtags shared in solidarity and shouted in the streets: “This is not abuse, this is rape”; “Sister I believe in you”; “We are your wolf pack, you are not alone”. A follow-up hashtag #Cuentalo (Tell Your Story) also went viral, allowing women across the country to share their experiences of sexual harassment.
We can credit the collective mobilization of women with the pressure required to successfully appeal against the original flawed verdict and the subsequent push for “only yes means yes”. legal reform,
As Lucia’s lawyer writes at the end of the documentary, “Society comes first and we follow.” This, then, is a collective story – as Lucia’s closing words to the film, reproduced from a open letterExpose:
I want to thank all those people who, without knowing me, took to the streets of Spain and gave me a voice when many people were trying to take it away from me. Thank you for not giving up on me, for believing in me, sisters…no one should have to go through this. No one should have to regret drinking alcohol, or talking to people at a party, or walking home alone, or wearing a short skirt. We all have to condemn the mentality of this society, where this can happen to anyone… If I have pricked the conscience of just one person, I will be satisfied.
Abigail LoxhamLecturer in Hispanic Studies and Film, University of Liverpool And deborah shawProfessor of Film and Screen Studies, University of Portsmouth
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