The events occurred at dawn on Sunday in the Gipuzkoan town of Beasain. A 20-year-old young woman from the town reported in the afternoon at the Ertzaintza police station that she had been the victim of an alleged sexual assault while the town was celebrating a weekend of festivities.

According to the young woman's story, she was approached at dawn in a central street of the municipality, within the festive area. She subsequently had to be treated at the Zumárraga hospital. And it was already on Sunday afternoon when she filed the complaint at an Ertzaintza police station. As reported by the Basque Department of Security, the Basque police have opened the corresponding proceedings to try to clarify the circumstances of what happened.

For its part, the Beasain City Council issued a statement on Monday showing its rejection of the reported events. "These are attacks that must be eradicated from our town and our parties," says the text approved by the board of spokespersons. In addition, the Consistory offers "all its help" to the complainant. "Sexual assaults are unacceptable, since they are direct attacks against people's freedom, against their dignity," they add.

The complaint has increased the concern that the institutions already felt about a possible uptick in sexual assaults during the recovery of the typical summer holiday calendar. And it is that, until now, the two important patron saint festivities that have been celebrated in the Basque Country have resulted in as many complaints of violations, and there are still great events such as the Sanfermines or the Big Weeks in the provincial capitals.

The festive calendar of the post-covid era started with the Ortuella festivities, in Vizcaya. However, the city council ended up canceling all the planned events of the first post-covid parties after a young woman reported having been the victim of sexual assault.

Not far from Beasain, in Tolosa, the complaint filed during the carnival celebrations is still being investigated. It was the first massive festive event in the Basque Country after two years marked by restrictions and it resulted in a complaint of sexual assault.