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Bail for 'Wolf Pack' Sexual Abuse Culprits Sparks Outrage and Protests in Pamplona

Women’s groups staged protests in cities across Spain on Thursday, June 21, after a court ordered five men convicted of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman in Pamplona to be released on bail.

The five were convicted of the lesser crime of sexual abuse but acquitted of rape, and sentenced to nine years in April. The decision not to prosecute the men, one of whom was a civil guard police officer, for rape sparked mass protests across Spain.

The men belonged to a WhatsApp group called La Manada, or “the Wolf Pack”, and used the app to share a video of the attack that took place during Pamplona’s famous bull-running festival in July 2016.

Their lawyers had launched an appeal and requested that the men to be provisionally released pending the outcome. The court decided to release them on $7,000 (6,000 euro) bail.

This video shows a protest in Pamplona on June 21, following the men’s provisional release. Rallies were also held on the same day in Bilbao, San Sebastian and Barcelona. Credit: Aitor Agirrezabal via Storyful