Francisco Rouxinol, 19, from Coruche was also attacked, having hit his head on a piece of metal and fallen to the ground
What was meant to be a fun holiday in the Algarve for a group of secondary school classmates from Coruche turned to tragedy when 19-year-old Francisco Rouxinol died after trying to defend two female friends from being attacked in downtown Albufeira in the early hours of Monday morning (August 5).
Upon trying to intervene, the young man was also attacked, having hit his head on a piece of metal and fallen to the ground. The impact is believed to have sent him into cardiac arrest. While INEM emergency services were able to resuscitate him, he died shortly after being taken to Faro Hospital.
The case, which played out at Travessa Cândido dos Reis in the busy bar district of downtown Albufeira, has shocked the local community of Coruche, a small town in the district of Santarém.
Local sports club Clube Associativo Desportivo de Coruche has released a statement lamenting the young man’s untimely death, sending its condolences to family members, friends and “everyone who had the opportunity to get to know and play alongside this great man.”
“He will always be one of us, and will always be remembered as the humble, friendly, responsible and hard-working person he was,” the statement says.
Local newspaper Notícias do Sorraia has also described him as a “regular presence at several parties, where he was a DJ,” as well as a “junior lifeguard and honours roll athlete.”
PJ police have confirmed they are investigating the case.
For Albufeira, the tragedy has served as the latest example of the late-night violence the town has become synonymous with.
Cases of “excessive behaviour” have become the norm in Albufeira, a town where drunken stag and hen parties and wild nightlife stand out as the things that it is arguably best known for.
Fearing that it may be reaching a point of no return, the municipal council of Albufeira has finally decided to take a stand, announcing last week several measures which are being taken to tackle the so-called “excessive behaviour”, from the creation of a Code of Conduct for nightlife establishments to the installation of 70 CCTV surveillance cameras.
Whether these measures will be enough to make residents and tourists feel safer in Albufeira remains to be seen. But what everyone seems to agree on is that assertive and quick action is needed.
“This tragic incident is not an isolated case but part of a worrying pattern of violence and disorder that has characterised Albufeira. In recent years, the town has seen an increase in nighttime conflicts, exacerbated by the lack of effective measures by the authorities,” says journalist Anselmo Soares Curtin in a text published on online magazine The Opinion Makers.
“The young man’s death symbolises the decay of Albufeira, a town that, under ineffective political leadership, seems to have lost control over its own streets. Tourism, essential to the local economy, is in decline, and businesses are struggling to survive in an environment of fear and uncertainty. The unfulfilled promises of improved security and governance highlight the lack of vision and effective action from the authorities,” he writes. “Albufeira has hit rock bottom, and only concerted action can reverse the deplorable state it finds itself in.”
By MICHAEL BRUXO
