Several hurt in anti-migrant unrest in Span
The regional government did not say how many people were injured but stated that at least one person had been arrested for the violence. The unrest erupted after a 68-year-old man told Spanish media he was beaten up in the street on Wednesday by three youths of North African origin.
The town hall organised a demonstration that was intended to be peaceful but where far-right elements shouted anti-migrant slogans. One group, named "Deport Them Now", posted a message on social media calling for attacks against people of North African origin. Spanish authorities launched an appeal for calm in the town of around 36,000 people. Spain's Youth Minister Sira Rego, a member of the extreme left wing party Sumar, condemned the violence against migrants in a message on Bluesky, blaming the role of the "ultra-right" in the unrest. — AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
23-07-2025
- Observer
UK sanctions 25 to deter migrant Channel crossings
The UK on Wednesday sanctioned more than two dozen people, groups, and suppliers from China, the Middle East, and the Balkans accused of helping to smuggle migrants across the Channel, in what it called a "landmark" first use of new powers. The move comes as Britain's government faces growing domestic pressure to stem the migrant arrivals on small boats from northern France, as numbers hit record levels this year. The asset freezes and travel bans announced target individuals and entities "driving irregular migration to the UK", and include four "gangs" and "gangland bosses" operating in the Balkans, the Foreign Office said. They also hit a small boat supplier in China, so-called "hawala" money movers in the Middle East, and seven alleged people-smugglers linked to Iraq. Foreign Secretary David Lammy called it "a landmark moment in the government's work to tackle organised immigration crime," impacting the UK. "From Europe to Asia, we are taking the fight to the people-smugglers who enable irregular migration, targeting them wherever they are in the world," he added."My message to the gangs who callously risk vulnerable lives for profit is this: we know who you are, and we will work with our partners around the world to hold you to account." - 'Terrorising refugees' -Prime Minister Keir Starmer took power a year ago, promising to curb the journeys by "smashing the gangs" facilitating the crossings, but has struggled to deliver on the pledge. Nearly 24,000 migrants have made the perilous journey across the Channel so far in 2025, the highest ever tally at this point in a year. The issue has become politically perilous in the UK, blamed for helping to fuel the rise of the far-right and violence at anti-migrant demonstrations. Protests have erupted sporadically outside hotels believed to house asylum-seekers, with a recent demonstration outside one in Epping, east of London, descending into clashes that injured eight police officers. The riots sparked by the Southport attacks in July 2024 also saw suspected asylum-seeker hotels attacked and anti-migrant sentiment on display. Wednesday's designations represent the UK's first use of its new "Global Irregular Migration Sanctions Regime".It claims the regime is a "world first", empowering the Foreign Office to target foreign financiers and companies as well as individuals allegedly involved in facilitating people-smuggling to the UK. In all, it sanctioned 20 individuals, four gangs -- two Balkan groups and two of North African origin operating in the Balkans -- as well as the Chinese company. Among those facing curbs was Bledar Lala, described as an Albanian controlling "the 'Belgium operations' of an organised criminal group" involved in the crossings. The UK also targeted Alen Basil, a former police translator it accused of now leading a large smuggling network in Serbia, "terrorising refugees, with the aid of corrupt policemen". - 'Far-fetched' -London hit alleged "gangland boss" Mohammed Tetwani with sanctions, noting he was dubbed the "King of Horgos" over his brutal running of a migrant camp in the Serbian town Horgos. Tetwani leads the Tetwani people-smuggling gang, which the UK branded "one of the Balkans' most violent" and accused of holding migrants for ransom and sexually abusing women unable to pay the fees demanded. The sanctioned company in China -- Weihai Yamar Outdoor Product Co -- has advertised its small boats online "explicitly for people-smuggling," according to the Foreign Office. Tom Keatinge, of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said the sanctions were "a new front in the UK's efforts to control a business model that brings profit to the enablers" and misery to victims. However, I would caution against overpromising," he told AFP. "Talk of freezing assets and using sanctions to 'smash the gangs' seems far-fetched and remains to be seen."History suggests that such assertions hold governments hostage to fortune."
Observer
15-07-2025
- Observer
Several hurt in anti-migrant unrest in Span
MADRID: Several people were hurt in a second night of anti-migrant unrest in the Spanish town of Torre Pacheco after a pensioner was beaten up, authorities said. Despite a major police presence, groups armed with batons roamed the streets looking for foreign-origin people, regional newspaper La Opinion de Murcia reported. The regional government did not say how many people were injured but stated that at least one person had been arrested for the violence. The unrest erupted after a 68-year-old man told Spanish media he was beaten up in the street on Wednesday by three youths of North African origin. The town hall organised a demonstration that was intended to be peaceful but where far-right elements shouted anti-migrant slogans. One group, named "Deport Them Now", posted a message on social media calling for attacks against people of North African origin. Spanish authorities launched an appeal for calm in the town of around 36,000 people. Spain's Youth Minister Sira Rego, a member of the extreme left wing party Sumar, condemned the violence against migrants in a message on Bluesky, blaming the role of the "ultra-right" in the unrest. — AFP
Observer
09-07-2025
- Observer
Sanchez offers new measures to root out graft
MADRID: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez unveiled a plan to root out corruption on Wednesday, seeking to maintain parliamentary support for his government after senior members of his governing Socialist Party were accused of taking bribes. A Supreme Court judge last month ordered the pre-trial detention of Santos Cerdan, the former number three in the party, over allegations that he received and distributed kickbacks in exchange for awarding public works contracts. Cerdan denies the allegations, which are part of a wider corruption inquiry that has led to opposition calls for a snap election that threaten to destabilise Sanchez's government. Sanchez, who is Secretary General of the Socialist Party, told parliament at an extraordinary session on the case that he had briefly considered quitting but decided to stay on, arguing that he himself had done no wrong. "I am a clean politician, I will not throw in the towel," he said. Sanchez, who again rejected calls for an early election, announced 15 measures including preventing companies found guilty of bribery from winning government procurement contracts and working with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's anti-corruption team to crack down on graft. Alberto Nunez Feijoo, leader of the opposition People's Party, urged Sanchez to assume responsibility for his party's actions, report what he knew about the case and call elections. "It's not only the decent way out, but you have no choice," Feijoo said. — Reuters
