Two Men Jailed for Assaults on Councillor and Friend at Encamp Festival

Two young men, aged 24 and 27, have been sentenced to prison terms of three and six months respectively following separate assaults during Encamp's Festa del Poble festival.

The incidents occurred in the early hours of Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday morning, a young man—described as a friend of a nephew of General Councillor Pere Marsenyach—was attacked by members of a local group known as El Bloque. Video footage captured the assault, showing one of the later-detained men participating, while another appeared briefly as a mediator before helping the victim to his feet. The primary aggressor remains unidentified. The victim, a non-resident, reported minor contusions and filed a complaint with police on Monday afternoon, after Marsenyach's own report.

The following night, Sunday morning, Marsenyach, a 48-year-old Democrat councillor from Encamp, was struck during a confrontation inside the festival concert area. He had alerted police to suspicious movements by youths, reminiscent of the previous evening's violence. Marsenyach and others from his group approached a man linked to the Saturday incident—initially as a supposed peacemaker—to demand explanations. The exchange escalated amid mutual alcohol consumption, leading to punches and kicks. Marsenyach sustained bruises to his right arm and knee, plus rib pain; emergency services at the hospital noted no nasal fracture despite his later ENT report citing tenderness from recent septorhinoplasty surgery. A forensic examination supported the initial mild contusion diagnosis.

Police arrested the two men—one Andorran, one resident—on Wednesday afternoon as main suspects tied to El Bloque, a group known for prior violent incidents including brawls and property damage. Interior Minister Ester Molné confirmed the detentions during a government briefing, noting the pair's police history. Both were remanded in custody Thursday night at La Comella penitentiary after appearing before the duty magistrate.

Prosecutors initially sought 30 months, with 18 firm, but the men accepted reduced sentences via fast-track procedure amid public concern and their records—one convicted conditionally in 2024 for 2022 offences, the other sentenced in 2019. Judicial resolutions cited injuries only, without referencing El Bloque or Marsenyach's status as an aggravating factor. A third assault that Sunday— a supposed El Bloque member claiming attack by a security guard—remains under review.

Police investigations continue, with further interrogations and potential arrests not ruled out, given reports of five to eight participants overall. Neither judgement allows appeals, though defences may pursue separate actions.