Valencia Neighbor Faces Repeated Assault: Pepper Spray or Police Report?

Three Encounters, 110 Kilos, and a Question: How to Respond?

A neighbor in Valencia has faced three encounters with the same person and still doesn't know what to do. He recounts his experience: a man asking for money on the banks of the Turia River, while he jumps up from the bench in antiestéticar every time he sees him approach. The third time, according to his testimony, he was struck on the back of the neck while fleeing. Weighing 110 kilos and standing 1.70 tall, he defines himself as an easy target: wearing flip-flops, easily scared, and admitting it without shame.

The case exposes an uncomfortable and unresolved question: What to do when aggression repeats? The first dilemma is whether to call the police, carry something to repel the attack, or change routes.

What Can You Legally Carry for Self-Defense in Spain?

One specific piece of advice involves pepper spray. According to one participant, it requires no license, is sold in gun shops, and fits in the palm of your hand. The proposed method is to use it without warning, suddenly, and run away without waiting to see the effect: a few seconds are enough for eyes to sting and the pursuer to stop on their own. No threatening or turning your back late.

The other half is mindset. Those who have been through this insist on the same thing: don't display it, don't brag, and don't let the other person know you're carrying it. The element of surprise works better than any show of force.

The Monopoly on Violence and the Citizen Left Alone

An argument runs through the discussion with more bitterness than data. As one participant claims, the State claims the monopoly on violence, but rarely shows up where needed. Hence the corollary: either solve your problems yourself, or things stay as they are.

The formal route exists: filing a report. Registering the assault at the police station turns a personal anecdote into a documented fact. It guarantees nothing short-term, but leaves a trace. Even the most aggressive voices admit the problem is that reports are filed when there's nothing left to prevent.

Report or Endure: What Is at Stake for Those Who Stay Silent

The police appear both as the first option and the last resort. Those recommending reports argue that registering the episode has concrete utility: if things escalate, there is a precedent; without a prior report, each encounter remains undocumented. Several voices insist that the blow to the neck, however weak, deserves written record.

Against this is the antiestéticar that reporting might worsen things with someone who sleeps meters away from where the encounters happen. A report protects the narrative, not the body. That gap between paperwork and street reality pervades the entire discussion without resolution.

Does Physical Build Matter?

There is debate over whether 110 kilos help or hinder. One school of thought argues fat cushions blows and withstands long fights better; another reminds us that large bodies move slower and tire faster. In any case, it's subjective.

And here the calculation breaks down. Attitude deters once; the second time brings desire for revenge. Among the soberest advice is an uncomfortable reminder: you can take a couple of hits, but not a knife or worse. No one knows what kind of lunatic they face until it's upon them.

From Real Help to Mockery: How Calls for Assistance Are Received

The plea for help meets all sorts of responses. Some offer concrete methods—spray, reports, attitude—while others joke: get fit, dress differently, learn from TV series. Noise doesn't hide the core issue. A man confessing vulnerability received some practical advice alongside plenty of mockery.

Some also claim insecurity is noticeable and attackers detect it; he believes his reaction, jumping off the bench, could be read as contempt. This is his interpretation, not proven fact. The only verifiable point is that encounters escalated: first a request for money, then uncomfortable presence, finally a blow.

Most limit themselves to opinions; some offer to accompany him to the area.

If the pattern repeats—same zone, same person, same antiestéticar—it will likely end at the police station sooner or later. With caveats: it could also end worse, or in nothing.