Anger grows as Spain court bails sexual abuse gang

MADRID: Protests were planned across Spain on Friday, after a court ordered the release on bail of five men sentenced to nine years in prison for sexually abusing a young woman at Pamplona´s bull-running festival.

The men, who called themselves "The Pack" in a WhatsApp messaging group, had been accused of raping a woman, then 18, on July 7, 2016, at the start of the week-long San Fermin festival, which draws tens of thousands of visitors.

All five, aged between 27 and 29, were convicted of sexual abuse in April but were acquitted of the more serious crime of sexual assault, which includes rape, as the court did not consider that the victim had been subjected to intimidation or violence, sparking nationwide protests to demand the law be changed.

They appealed their jail terms and a Pamplona court on Thursday ordered the five be released on bail of 6,000 euros pending the outcome of the appeal, according to Spanish media reports. Women´s rights groups immediately took to social media to call for protests on Thursday night with the slogan: "If the pack hits the streets, we will as well".

And Friday´s headlines also reflected the national mood, with Catalan daily La Vanguardia leading on "The Pack´s court intensifies the anger by freeing them" while the Conservative ABC had: "Anger and disbelief over the release of The Pack".