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Spanish police launch investigation after DJ filmed spitting beer in to a crowd

Tourists have returned to Spain after the easing of lockdown - David Ramos/Getty Images Europe
Tourists have returned to Spain after the easing of lockdown - David Ramos/Getty Images Europe

Police have launched an investigation after a video emerged of a DJ spitting beer onto dancers at a beach club in a Spanish resort as the country battled to reduce a spike in coronavirus cases.

Video film showed a man spraying the crowd with beer then offering some dancers drinks from the same bottle at the club in Torremolinos, a destination popular with British tourists near Malaga in southern Spain.

Many people dancing do not appear to be wearing masks according to the images which were shared widely on social media.

One member of the Spanish DJ duo called Les Castizos was said to be the person who spat the beer at the crowd during part of their act.

Police said they were investigating the pair for alleged “behaviour which does not abide by the measures of protection and security against coronavirus”.

Torremolinos council has closed the beach bar Kokun Ocean Club for 15 days after the video emerged.

Offenders face fines of up to €60,000 for endangering public health in the most extreme cases.

Spain is currently battling 483 outbreaks of Covid-19, health authorities said, of which 71 were in Andalusia, the region which includes Torremolinos.

The video may not help Spain's left-wing government to restore international confidence that the country is a safe destination for tourists.

The country's tourism industry was in disarray after Britain imposed a 14-day quarantine on travellers from Spain to the UK on July 25 and Germany and France advised travellers not to journey to Catalonia, Aragon and Navarre, three regions where coronavirus cases spiked last month.

The incident involving the DJs took place last month at the Kokun Ocean Club on the Los Alamos beach in Torremolinos.

The Association of Hoteliers of Malaga condemned the conduct of the DJs at the club.

“We condemn the grave irresponsibility which we observed in the images at the disco in Torremolinos, which showed a negligent attitude during a pandemic,” it said in a statement.

“We will never defend such an attack on public health and reiterate our commitment to health standards.”

Fali Sotomayor, one of Les Castizos, apologised for their conduct, saying the pair felt “ashamed and repentant”.

“The video shows a specific moment in a show in which, unfortunately, we act irresponsibly,” the pair said in a statement.

The duo said that the club did not bear any responsibility for events.