Thousands of people protest across Spain, after a court acquitted five men of rape charges

 

Thousands of people have been protesting across Spain, after a court acquitted five men of rape charges for an attack on a young woman during a bull-running festival.

 

Angry demonstrators packed central Madrid and other cities shouting "Shame! Shame!" and "No means no".

The five were jailed for nine years for sexual assault, but many saw the sentence as too lenient.
Both the woman and the defendants say they will appeal against the verdict.

The five - who belonged to a WhatsApp group called La manada (wolf pack) - filmed the attack, which took place during the San Fermin festival in Pamplona in July 2016.

The 18-year-old victim's ordeal caused a national outcry.

Under Spanish law, the charge of sexual abuse differs from rape in that it does not involve violence or intimidation.

Women and men came out into the streets in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Pamplona itself, and in more than a dozen other cities across Spain.

What happened in the court?

The five, in their late 20s and originally from Seville, and the victim, from Madrid, were not present when the judgement was read out after a five-month trial, which was held behind closed doors to protect the woman's identity.

The men, who have been in custody since 2016, were also ordered to pay the woman €50,000 ($61,000; £43,500) in compensation.

Prosecutors had asked for sentences of more than 20 years.

However, one judge had argued that the men should have been acquitted of all charges except stealing the victim's phone.

What was the case against them?

Videos of the late-night encounter between the men and the young woman showed how the five men had wandered the streets among other drunken revellers before two of them led her into a basement by the hand.

According to a police report, the men surrounded the woman in a small alcove, removed her clothes and had unprotected sex.