Not-too-heavy metal: Rock fan with cerebral palsy crowd surfs in his WHEELCHAIR during Arch Enemy set at Spanish music festival

• Rock fan’s family thanked the crowd for helping Alex ‘fulfill a dream’ 
• Photographer Daniel Cruz said he couldn’t let the moment go unrecorded 
• Arch Enemy said the actions of festival goers in Viveiro, Lugo were ‘incredible’

The powerful image of a rock fan flying high, as crowds lift him in his wheelchair at the Resurrection Fest in north-western Spain, is being celebrated as a symbol of inclusiveness in action.  

Images of Alex, a young man with cerebral palsy, being lifted by fellow music lovers have gone viral on social media – with one photograph taken by festival photographer Daniel Cruz shared thousands of times. 

It shows Alex sitting in his wheelchair as dozens hold him up during Swedish band Arch Enemy’s set. 

The image captured at last week’s festival in Viveiro Lugo has been labelled the photo of the summer and has seen others sharing their own videos and photos of the touching moment online.  

Photographer Daniel Cruz said when he saw Alex lifted high he couldn’t resist capturing the moment 

Photographer Daniel Cruz, told Spanish media outlet LaSexta, he couldn’t let the moment go unrecorded. 

‘I got on the fence running and I saw that the people were carrying Alex, it was an immediate reaction, to take the camera and take the picture.’

Arch Enemy also captured the moment from their perspective on stage and shared a video of what it described as an ‘incredible’ gesture by its ‘awesome’ fans.

‘The Arch Enemy legions just being awesome as usual at @ResurrectionESP in Spain a couple of days ago,’ the band tweeted. 

Spanish media outlet, La Opinion, said it was Alex who had asked the crowds to lift him up. 

While there was an area for people with disabilities at the festival, the rock fan said he preferred to be a part of the crowd – and being lifted high, as he was, made him feel more a part of the festival, rather than someone stuck on the sidelines.

People on social media have praised the actions of the festival goers for helping a man with a disability feel included

On Twitter, the young man’s family thanked the crowd for their gesture of inclusivity and helping Alex ‘fulfill a dream’.  

People on social media have praised the actions of the festival goers for helping a man with a disability feel a part of the festivities like everyone else.   

‘It’s great that, although some see difficulties, others see solutions and joys like that,’ a young woman tweeted. 

‘Thanks to all those people who made Alex fulfill a dream … Let’s educate humanity’, added another.

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