Spanish city ‘adopts’ two migrants who tried to save gay man killed in homophobic attack
Ibrahima Diack and Magatte N’Diaye were honoured by Spanish city A Coruña for the heroic act (A Coruña City Hall/Twitter)
A Spanish city has honoured two Senegalese migrants for their “pure altruism” after they attempted to save a gay man who was killed in a homophobic attack.
Ibrahima Diack and Magatte N’Diaye were given “adopted sons of the city” status by the city of A Coruña in Spain on Monday (24 February) in a formal ceremony recognising their heroism, the BBC reported.
Diack and N’Diaye were the only two to intervene when 24-year-old nursing assistant Samuel Luiz was brutally beaten by a dozen men in a homophobic attack outside a nightclub in July 2021. Luiz later died of his injuries in hospital, sparking national outrage and protests.
At the time, a friend of Luiz named Vanesa explained that a man had yelled a homophobic slur at Luiz before punching him repeatedly. She stated that civilians had stepped in to help Luiz as he was being attacked, managing to push his attacker away. Reports stated the attacker later returned with 12 men, who beat Luiz unconscious.
On Monday, at the formal ceremony to honour Diack and N’Diaye, the city’s mayor Inés Rey explained that they had “physically risked themselves” in order to help Luiz, adding that their actions were “pure alturism”.
“That two undocumented migrants were the only ones who physically risked themselves to help the victim of a pack thirsting for horror leaves much food for thought and a series of lessons,” Mayor Rey said.
O Concello recoñece a Ibrahima Diack e Magatte N’Diaye como Fillos Adoptivos da Coruña.
— Concello da Coruña (@ConcelloCoruna) February 24, 2025
Inés Rey: “Ibrahima e Magatte, altruismo puro, contan co agradecemento eterno da Coruña, ficando xa na súa historia”.
▶️ Revive connosco o acto, dispoñible en vídeo:https://t.co/rmwB8OP2jw pic.twitter.com/d0I6tLxnpv
According to the BBC, Diack and N’Diaye had been living in A Coruña without documentation, which put them at risk of arrest and deportation if they came into contact with authorities.
At the ceremony on Monday, where they were given plaques by the mayor awarding them with the status of “Adopted Sons of A Coruña”, both men said they had done what they thought was the right thing in trying to stop the attack.
“We are not heroes, we did what we had to do,” N’Diaye said.
Diack added: “I was born in a family that doesn’t have much… but they gave me many things more valuable than money. They gave me respect, education and above all, values.”
Diack and N’Diaye were also reportedly witnesses in the trial of Luiz’s killers in November 2024.
According to The Guardian, four men were found guilty of Luiz’s murder. Three of the convicted men – Diego Montaña, Alejandro Freire and Kaio Amaral – were sentenced to terms of 24 years, 20 years, and 20 years and six months for their roles in the murder.
A fourth man, Alejandro Míguez, who did not hit Luiz, was given a 10-year sentence for being an accomplice to murder.
In her sentencing remarks, the presiding judge Elena Fernanda Pastor Novo noted that Luiz’s family had experienced “significant psychological suffering beyond the pain inherent in the loss of a son and a brother” due to the attack, adding that Montaña had been handed longer jail time as he had shown “an absolute lack of empathy and a cruelty that warrant a more severe sentence”.
Anyone who has witnessed or experienced a hate crime is urged to call the police on 101, Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit the True Vision website. In an emergency, always dial 999.
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