The city of A Coruña in Galicia, northern Spain, on Monday granted the title of adoptive sons to two Senegalese migrants who risked their lives to assist a gay man whose murder in 2021 shocked the nation.
Ibrahima Diack and Magatte N’Diaye tried to intervene and protect Samuel Luiz as he was brutally beaten by a group of men outside a nightclub in the city in July 2021.
Luiz, 24, later died in hospital, prompting nationwide protests and drawing condemnation from Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
At the time, Diack and N’Diaye were undocumented migrants, but their bravery led to the eventual granting of work and residency permits.
During a ceremony at the town hall, A Coruña’s mayor, Inés Rey, praised their ‘altruism’. The two men received a standing ovation and commemorative plaques recognising their courageous actions.
‘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,’ Rey said.
N’Diaye downplayed their actions, saying, ‘We are not heroes, we did what we had to do’, and stressed the values of respect, love and solidarity instilled in him during his upbringing in Senegal.
Diack echoed this sentiment, crediting his family for shaping his moral compass. ‘I was born in a family that doesn’t have much … but they gave me many things more valuable than money,’ he said.
‘They gave me respect, education and above all values.’
In November, a jury found four men guilty of Luiz’s murder. The primary perpetrator, who was sentenced to 24 years in prison, was found to have shouted homophobic slurs during the fatal attack. ALSO READ: Galicia court sentences 4 men to jail for 10 to 24 years for ‘savage’ homophobic murder.
Mali, Senegal and Morocco are the most common countries of origin for the tens of thousands of migrants who enter Spain illegally each year, with the majority arriving by boat to the Canary Islands in the Atlantic.
O Concello recoñece a Ibrahima Diack e Magatte N’Diaye como Fillos Adoptivos da Coruña.
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
— Concello da Coruña (@ConcelloCoruna) February 24, 2025
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