Spanish police have arrested 10 people after three nights of violent unrest in Torre Pacheco, where tensions flared between far-right groups and North African migrants.
Spanish authorities have detained 10 individuals following three consecutive nights of violent clashes between far-right groups and North African migrants in the southeastern town of Torre Pacheco.
The unrest, one of Spain’s most serious episodes of anti-migrant violence in recent years, escalated on Sunday night as dozens of masked youths hurled bottles and other projectiles at riot police. Officers responded with rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.
The conflict originated from an alleged attack last week (9 July) on a man in his late 60s. Identified in Spanish media as Domingo Tomas, the man said he was assaulted during a walk in a local cemetery garden by two men speaking an unfamiliar language. He was injured but has since returned home.
The Interior Ministry confirmed on Monday that the main suspect in the assault had been arrested in the northern Basque Country. Two foreign nationals were previously detained in connection with the incident.
Among the 10 arrested over the recent violence are six Spaniards and one individual of North African origin. They face charges including assault, hate crimes, and public disorder.
Torre Pacheco, a municipality of about 40,000 residents, is home to a large migrant population, many employed as agricultural day labourers in the Murcia region. Migrants and local officials alike have urged calm amid growing fears of reprisal attacks.
"I ask the migrant community not to leave their homes and not to confront rioters," said local mayor Pedro Angel Roca. "Confrontation achieves nothing and ultimately makes us all afraid."
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska blamed far-right groups and political rhetoric for fuelling the unrest, saying the violence was coordinated through social media.
The far-right party Vox, which has led recent opposition to the government’s migration policies, denied any involvement. Vox leader Santiago Abascal instead blamed the government for what he described as “failed migration strategies.”
In recent weeks, the national debate over immigration has intensified amid plans to relocate unaccompanied migrant minors from the Canary Islands to mainland Spain.
"Spain is not a country that hunts down immigrants," said Migration Minister Elma Saiz, condemning the anti-migrant sentiment. "If we have to take to the streets, it is to defend the rights of those trapped and distressed by this hunt."
Abdelali, a North African resident of Torre Pacheco, expressed concern for his safety. "We want peace. That’s what we want, we don’t want anything else," he said.
The latest unrest has drawn comparisons to the 2000 anti-immigration riots in El Ejido, a town in southern Spain where similar violence erupted after the killing of Spanish citizens by Moroccan migrants.
Spanish authorities continue to monitor the situation, urging restraint and unity as the investigation into the initial assault and subsequent riots progresses.
Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility for the recent drone and missile strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran and Riyadh and at ...
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk...
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog, met on 14 October to discuss bilateral ties and key regional and inte...
Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility for the recent drone and missile strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran and Riyadh and at King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia, vowing to carry out more attacks in the coming days.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Thousands of young Georgians leave the country each year in search of better economic opportunities, with many moving west. As questions grow over Georgia’s European path, AnewZ spoke to people who have emigrated about what it would take for them to return.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk's SpaceX, to pilot drones. A source in Ukraine's Defence Ministry said the restrictions would make it harder for Kyiv's army to down Russian drones.
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk's SpaceX, to pilot drones. A source in Ukraine's Defence Ministry said the restrictions would make it harder for Kyiv's army to down Russian drones.
A 62-year-old man died on Wednesday after floodwaters swept his car into the sea on the Greek island of Rhodes, as torrential rain flooded roads, stranded vehicles and disrupted transport across the island.
A failure by the U.S. and Iran to reach an agreement on a UN-backed fertiliser shipping plan for the Strait of Hormuz within weeks could trigger a food security crisis in parts of Asia and Africa, a senior UN official has warned.
Pope Leo has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer, after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung. The Vatican says the tumour was detected during a routine health check, but its stage and whether it has spread remain unknown.
Greek students braved heavy rain to pitch tents outside parliament in Athens on Tuesday, demanding affordable housing and more education funding as rising living costs put university places beyond the reach of some students.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment