A parking attendant on a Maro parking lot was attacked by four men because he refused to lift the barrier - the small parking area was already full.
The said car park is manned by people belonging to the Taller de la Amistad and two of their members were on duty at the time. Both attendants have over a 33% mental deficiency – the Taller helps it members carry out as much as possible a normal life.
The assailtants, apparently four North Africans residents of Madrid, began by berating the attendant for not opening the barrier but then one of their number picked up a large stone and threw it at the head of the attendant, who fell to the ground.
Then, according to his companion, all four of the men began kicking the victim on the ground. In the meantime, the other attendant filmed wat was happening with his mobile. There were also several other eye witnesses.
The Policía Local rapidly arrived and identified the four men. In the meantime the victim was taken to the local medical centre in Nerja where he received several stitches to his scalp wound. After that he was taken to the Hospital Comarcal de la Axarquía, where they carried out a complete check up to make sure that his injury was not more serious than it appeared.
The administrator at the Centre for Special Employment (which organised the jobs for the two attendants), Ana María Guardia, explained that it hadn’t been the first time that they have had problems in the area of Maro where people with mental deficiencies are employed to run the car park, although no incident was as serious as this one.
Since 2016 drivers are asked to make a donation of one europ when they park, thanks to an acord between the Town Hall and this association.
“We are insulted, threatened and on one occasion the barrier was deliberately broken,” explained Ana Maria and saying that there needed to be regular police presence in the form of patrols.
The Town Hall, on a different note, is studying the possibility of providing a bus, shuttle service between the village entrance and the Playa de Maro – along the lines of Cantarriján – to cut down on traffic and the need for parking.
(News: Maro, Nerja, Axarquia, Costa del Sol, Malaga, Andalucia – Photo: E. Cabezas)