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Morocco World
6 days ago
- Politics
- Morocco World
14 Arrests in Spain Amid Anti-Migrants Riots, Moroccan Community Calls for Peace, Calm
Rabat – Spanish authorities have arrested at least 14 people for their alleged involvement in riots, particularly anti-migrant clashes, since Friday last week. Spain, especially Murcia, has been witnessing violent clashes and riots targeting migrants, particularly Moroccans, since the assault of a 68-year-old Spaniard in Torre Pacheco in southeastern Spain. Reports alleged that the assault was perpetrated by three men of North African origin, potentially from Morocco. One of the suspects is a 19-year-old who is allegedly the main perpetrator. Since Friday, authorities arrested over 14 suspects, the majority of whom are Spanish nationals, for being involved in anti-migrant riots and violent clashes targeting Moroccans. The tension was fueled by far-right groups like Vox, which launched a manhunt and urged targeting migrants, particularly Moroccans. Reuters quoted Abdelali, an informal spokesperson for the Moroccan community who lives in Murcia, launching a peace appeal amid the critical situation. 'We don't want criminals,' he said, condemning the violence. 'We don't want violence or people who come from outside to make trouble here.' Reports emphasize that people arrested in connection with the assault on the 68-year-old man were not from Torre Pacheco. Some critics have suspected the situation, suggesting far-right involvement in the case to stir tensions and violence in the region. Many have joined growing lists of politicians and communities condemning the violence and calling for calm. The Moroccan consulate in Murcia reiterated its solidarity with Moroccans in the region, reassuring citizens that it is in constant contact with Spanish authorities to ensure security guarantees are provided to Moroccans. It also expressed condemnation of violent, hostile actions against members of the Moroccan community. Anti-migrant sentiment and Islamophobia is not a new challenge in Spain and Europe in general. A report from OHCHR said that at least 17 cases have been reported to NGOs by young women on their first day of class in 2020. The complainants mostly reported being denied entrance to their high schools because they wear a hijab. This is despite the absence of any formal legislation prohibiting the hijab. 'Political leaders who openly use Islamophobia in their public discourses usually belong to far-right Vox or right-wing PP,' the report said. The OHCHR report emphasized that while until 2017 Islamophobic hate speech was 'noticeably clear, especially after each terror attack, the years after it became interlaced with xenophobic hate speech against North African migrants and more specifically against migrant unaccompanied minors.' Tags: Anti-Migrant ViolenceMurcia
Reuters
7 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Moroccan community calls for calm after anti-migrant clashes in Spanish town
TORRE PACHECO, Spain, July 15 (Reuters) - Moroccan community leaders in the Spanish town of Torre Pacheco called for calm following four nights of clashes between North African migrants and the far-right, in some of the worst such unrest in the country in recent times. Police have detained at least 14 people so far over the clashes that flared up on Friday after an attack last week on a local man in his 60s. Far-right groups have called for anti-migrant protests on Tuesday and over 120 Civil Guard officers have been deployed to maintain security in the town, a government spokesperson for the region said. Authorities said three Moroccan citizens suspected of involvement in the assault have been apprehended, including a 19-year-old alleged to be the main perpetrator. He was detained on Monday evening in northern Spain on assault and battery charges. A spokesperson for the central government's office in the Murcia region said none of the suspects lived in Torre Pacheco. After xenophobic messages on social media to "hunt down" residents of North African origin, leaders of the local Moroccan community urged calm and advised younger members to remain in their homes after dozens took to the streets over the weekend and on Monday, clashing with far-right groups and police. "We want peace ... We don't want criminals, we don't want violence or people who come from outside to make trouble here," Abdelali, an informal spokesperson for the Moroccan community who has lived in the town for 25 years, told reporters. Police arrested three people overnight after a confrontation with dozens of young men in the San Antonio neighbourhood, home to a majority of the town's first- and second generation migrants who represent nearly a third of the town's population of 40,000, according to local government data. Reuters footage showed some of the protesters, mostly masked, lobbing fireworks at officers clad in riot gear, who responded by firing rubber bullets. Spain's top hate crimes prosecutor, Miguel Angel Aguilar, told SER radio on Tuesday that his office was investigating the events in Torre Pacheco, as well as social media messages inciting violence towards migrants. He also confirmed regional prosecutors were looking at statements by the leader of far-right party Vox in Murcia, Jose Angel Antelo, who is accused by Spain's ruling Socialist Party of linking immigration to criminality in speeches, media appearances and posts on X. Late on Monday, the messaging app Telegram shuttered a channel named "DeportThemNowSpain" for "inciting violence". Reuters reviewed dozens of messages in the channel that included expletive-laden calls to attack Moroccans residing in Torre Pacheco or set fire to their homes. The Spanish Interior Ministry said police in Mataro, near Barcelona, had arrested an unnamed leader of supremacist movement "Deport Them Now Europe" suspected of inciting hatred and seized two computers.
The Independent
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Far-right groups ‘hunt' migrants as violence persists in Spanish town
Moroccan community leaders have called for calm following four nights of clashes between North African migrants and the far right in the Spanish town of Torre Pacheco. Police have detained at least 14 people so far over the clashes, considered some of the worst such unrest in the country in recent times, that flared up on Friday after a local man in his 60s was attacked in the street. More than 120 Civil Guard officers have been deployed to maintain security in the town, a government spokesperson for the region said. Authorities said three Moroccan citizens suspected of involvement in the assault have been apprehended, including a 19-year-old alleged to be the main perpetrator. He was detained on Monday evening in northern Spain on assault and battery charges. A spokesperson for the central government's office in the Murcia region said none of the suspects lived in Torre Pacheco. Far-right groups called for anti-migrant protests on Tuesday, as xenophobic messages emerged on social media to "hunt down" residents of North African origin. In response, leaders of the local Moroccan community urged calm and advised younger members to remain in their homes after dozens took to the streets over the weekend and on Monday, clashing with far-right groups and police. "We want peace ... We don't want criminals, we don't want violence or people who come from outside to make trouble here," Abdelali, an informal spokesperson for the Moroccan community who has lived in the town for 25 years, told reporters. Police arrested three people overnight after a confrontation with dozens of young men in the San Antonio neighbourhood, home to a majority of the town's first and second generation migrants who represent nearly a third of the town's population of 40,000, according to local government data. Footage showed some of the protesters, mostly masked, lobbing fireworks at officers in riot gear, who responded by firing rubber bullets. Hate crimes investigation Spain's top hate crimes prosecutor, Miguel Angel Aguilar, told SER radio on Tuesday that his office was investigating the events in Torre Pacheco, as well as social media messages inciting violence towards migrants. He also confirmed regional prosecutors were looking at statements by the leader of far-right party Vox in Murcia, Jose Angel Antelo, who is accused by Spain's ruling Socialist Party of linking immigration to criminality in speeches, media appearances and posts on X. Late on Monday, the messaging app Telegram shuttered a channel named "DeportThemNowSpain" for "inciting violence". Reuters reviewed dozens of messages in the channel that included expletive-laden calls to attack Moroccans residing in Torre Pacheco or set fire to their homes. The Spanish Interior Ministry said police in Mataro, near Barcelona, had arrested an unnamed leader of the supremacist movement "Deport Them Now Europe" suspected of inciting hatred and seized two computers.
The Star
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Moroccan community calls for calm after anti-migrant clashes in Spanish town
A man throws an object at police, amid anti-migrant unrest following an attack on an elderly man by unknown assailants earlier in the week, in Torre Pacheco, Spain, July 13, 2025. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura TORRE PACHECO, Spain (Reuters) -Moroccan community leaders in the Spanish town of Torre Pacheco called for calm following four nights of clashes between North African migrants and the far-right, in some of the worst such unrest in the country in recent times. Police have detained at least 14 people so far over the clashes that flared up on Friday after an attack last week on a local man in his 60s. Far-right groups have called for anti-migrant protests on Tuesday and over 120 Civil Guard officers have been deployed to maintain security in the town, a government spokesperson for the region said. Authorities said three Moroccan citizens suspected of involvement in the assault have been apprehended, including a 19-year-old alleged to be the main perpetrator. He was detained on Monday evening in northern Spain on assault and battery charges. A spokesperson for the central government's office in the Murcia region said none of the suspects lived in Torre Pacheco. After xenophobic messages on social media to "hunt down" residents of North African origin, leaders of the local Moroccan community urged calm and advised younger members to remain in their homes after dozens took to the streets over the weekend and on Monday, clashing with far-right groups and police. "We want peace ... We don't want criminals, we don't want violence or people who come from outside to make trouble here," Abdelali, an informal spokesperson for the Moroccan community who has lived in the town for 25 years, told reporters. Police arrested three people overnight after a confrontation with dozens of young men in the San Antonio neighbourhood, home to a majority of the town's first- and second generation migrants who represent nearly a third of the town's population of 40,000, according to local government data. Reuters footage showed some of the protesters, mostly masked, lobbing fireworks at officers clad in riot gear, who responded by firing rubber bullets. HATE CRIMES INVESTIGATION Spain's top hate crimes prosecutor, Miguel Angel Aguilar, told SER radio on Tuesday that his office was investigating the events in Torre Pacheco, as well as social media messages inciting violence towards migrants. He also confirmed regional prosecutors were looking at statements by the leader of far-right party Vox in Murcia, Jose Angel Antelo, who is accused by Spain's ruling Socialist Party of linking immigration to criminality in speeches, media appearances and posts on X. Late on Monday, the messaging app Telegram shuttered a channel named "DeportThemNowSpain" for "inciting violence". Reuters reviewed dozens of messages in the channel that included expletive-laden calls to attack Moroccans residing in Torre Pacheco or set fire to their homes. The Spanish Interior Ministry said police in Mataro, near Barcelona, had arrested an unnamed leader of supremacist movement "Deport Them Now Europe" suspected of inciting hatred and seized two computers. (Reporting by Leo Benassato and Violeta Santos Moura in Torre Pacheco and David Latona in Madrid; Writing by David Latona; Editing by Andrei Khalip, Alexandra Hudson)
Straits Times
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Moroccan community calls for calm after anti-migrant clashes in Spanish town
A man throws an object at police, amid anti-migrant unrest following an attack on an elderly man by unknown assailants earlier in the week, in Torre Pacheco, Spain, July 13, 2025. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura TORRE PACHECO, Spain - Moroccan community leaders in the Spanish town of Torre Pacheco called for calm following four nights of clashes between North African migrants and the far-right, in some of the worst such unrest in the country in recent times. Police have detained at least 14 people so far over the clashes that flared up on Friday after an attack last week on a local man in his 60s. Far-right groups have called for anti-migrant protests on Tuesday and over 120 Civil Guard officers have been deployed to maintain security in the town, a government spokesperson for the region said. Authorities said three Moroccan citizens suspected of involvement in the assault have been apprehended, including a 19-year-old alleged to be the main perpetrator. He was detained on Monday evening in northern Spain on assault and battery charges. A spokesperson for the central government's office in the Murcia region said none of the suspects lived in Torre Pacheco. After xenophobic messages on social media to "hunt down" residents of North African origin, leaders of the local Moroccan community urged calm and advised younger members to remain in their homes after dozens took to the streets over the weekend and on Monday, clashing with far-right groups and police. "We want peace ... We don't want criminals, we don't want violence or people who come from outside to make trouble here," Abdelali, an informal spokesperson for the Moroccan community who has lived in the town for 25 years, told reporters. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Las Vegas Sands' new development part of S'pore's broader, more ambitious transformation: PM Wong Singapore Current economic headwinds do not dampen outlook for new MBS building: Las Vegas Sands president Business MAS records net profit of $19.7 billion, fuelled by investment gains Singapore $3b money laundering case: MinLaw acts against 4 law firms and 1 lawyer over seized properties Singapore Man charged with attempted murder of woman at Kallang Wave Mall Singapore Ex-cleaner jailed over safety lapses linked to guard's death near 1-Altitude rooftop bar Singapore Singapore CDL's long-time director Phillip Yeo to depart after boardroom feud Singapore 'Nobody deserves to be alone': Why Mummy and Acha have fostered over 20 children in the past 22 years Police arrested three people overnight after a confrontation with dozens of young men in the San Antonio neighbourhood, home to a majority of the town's first- and second generation migrants who represent nearly a third of the town's population of 40,000, according to local government data. Reuters footage showed some of the protesters, mostly masked, lobbing fireworks at officers clad in riot gear, who responded by firing rubber bullets. HATE CRIMES INVESTIGATION Spain's top hate crimes prosecutor, Miguel Angel Aguilar, told SER radio on Tuesday that his office was investigating the events in Torre Pacheco, as well as social media messages inciting violence towards migrants. He also confirmed regional prosecutors were looking at statements by the leader of far-right party Vox in Murcia, Jose Angel Antelo, who is accused by Spain's ruling Socialist Party of linking immigration to criminality in speeches, media appearances and posts on X. Late on Monday, the messaging app Telegram shuttered a channel named "DeportThemNowSpain" for "inciting violence". Reuters reviewed dozens of messages in the channel that included expletive-laden calls to attack Moroccans residing in Torre Pacheco or set fire to their homes. The Spanish Interior Ministry said police in Mataro, near Barcelona, had arrested an unnamed leader of supremacist movement "Deport Them Now Europe" suspected of inciting hatred and seized two computers. REUTERS
