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AsiaOne
21 hours ago
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Spain arrests 10 after far-right groups and migrants clash, World News
TORRE PACHECO, Spain — Spanish police have arrested 10 people after three nights of clashes between far-right groups and North African migrants in a town in southeastern Spain, the government said on Monday (July 14). In one of Spain's worst such flare-ups of recent times, several dozen youths, some hooded, hurled glass bottles and other objects at riot police in Torre Pacheco on Sunday night, Reuters journalists saw. Police fired rubber bullets to quell the unrest. The trouble stemmed from an attack last week on a man in his late 60s that left him injured and recovering at home. An Interior Ministry spokesperson told Reuters late on Monday that the suspected main perpetrator in last week's attack was arrested in the northern Basque Country. Authorities had previously said they had detained two foreigners suspected of involvement in the assault. The victim told LaSexta broadcaster last week that he had been on a walk in a cemetery garden when two men, speaking a language he did not understand, ran towards him, one in an agitated state. "He threw me to the ground and hit me. It all happened very quickly. I think they hit me and then left," said the man, whom LaSexta and other media identified as Domingo Tomas. The other seven detainees — six Spaniards and one person of North African origin — were arrested for assault, public disorder, hate crimes or damage to property, the Interior Ministry said. Migrants, many of them second-generation, make up about a third of Torre Pacheco's population of about 40,000. The area around the town also hosts large numbers of migrants who work as day labourers in agriculture, one of the pillars of the economy in the Murcia region. "I ask the migrant community not to leave their homes and not to confront rioters, because confrontation achieves nothing and ultimately makes us all afraid," local mayor Pedro Angel Roca told national broadcaster TVE. 'We want peace' Speaking to radio station Cadena Ser, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska attributed the violence to anti-immigration rhetoric from far-right groups and political parties such as Vox, which he said unjustifiably links immigration to crime. The violence in Torre Pacheco was organised and fomented by calls on social media, the minister added. Vox leader Santiago Abascal denied any responsibility for the incidents and said the government's migration policies were to blame. Spain has been open to migration and its economic benefits, even as other European governments have tightened borders. But debate has reignited, led by Vox, as plans to relocate unaccompanied underage migrants from the Canary Islands to the rest of Spain have been confirmed in recent weeks. "Spain is not a country that hunts down immigrants, and if we have to take to the streets, it is to defend the rights of thousands of people who are completely trapped and distressed by this hunt for immigrants," Migration Minister Elma Saiz told El Pais newspaper. Abdelali, a North African migrant who lives in Torre Pacheco and declined to give his surname, said he was afraid of riding his scooter due to rioters throwing bottles. "We want peace. That's what we want, we don't want anything else," he told Reuters on Sunday. In 2000, violent anti-immigration protests broke out in the Almeria town of El Ejido in southern Spain after three Spanish citizens were killed by Moroccan migrants. [[nid:720164]]
Qatar Tribune
a day ago
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Spain arrests eight after far-right groups and migrants clash
Agencies TORRE PACHECO Spanish police have arrested eight people after three nights of clashes between far-right groups and North African migrants in a town in southeastern Spain, the government said on Monday. In one of Spain's worst such flare-ups of recent times, several dozen youths, some hooded, hurled glass bottles and other objects at riot police in Torre Pacheco on Sunday night, Reuters journalists saw. Police fired rubber bullets to quell the unrest. The trouble stemmed from an attack last week on a man in his late 60s that left him injured and recovering at home. The victim told LaSexta broadcaster last week that he had been on a walk in a cemetery garden when two men, speaking in a language he did not understand, ran towards him, one in an agitated state. 'He threw me to the ground and hit me. It all happened very quickly. I think they hit me and then left,' said the man, whom LaSexta and other media identified as Domingo Tomas. Authorities said they arrested two foreigners suspected of being involved in the assault though they were still looking for the main perpetrator, who had been identified. The other six - five Spaniards and one person of North African origin - were arrested for assault, public disorder, hate crimes or damage to property, the Interior Ministry said. Migrants, many of them second-generation, make up about a third of Torre Pacheco's population of about 40,000. The area around the town also hosts large numbers of migrants who work as day laborers in agriculture, one of the pillars of the economy in the Murcia region. 'I ask the migrant community not to leave their homes and not to confront rioters, because confrontation achieves nothing and ultimately makes us all afraid,' local mayor Pedro Angel Roca told national broadcaster TVE.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Spain arrests 10 after far-right groups and migrants clash
TORRE PACHECO, Spain - Spanish police have arrested 10 people after three nights of clashes between far-right groups and North African migrants in a town in southeastern Spain, the government said on Monday. In one of Spain's worst such flare-ups of recent times, several dozen youths, some hooded, hurled glass bottles and other objects at riot police in Torre Pacheco on Sunday night, Reuters journalists saw. Police fired rubber bullets to quell the unrest. The trouble stemmed from an attack last week on a man in his late 60s that left him injured and recovering at home. An Interior Ministry spokesperson told Reuters late on Monday that the suspected main perpetrator in last week's attack was arrested in the northern Basque Country. Authorities had previously said they had detained two foreigners suspected of involvement in the assault. The victim told LaSexta broadcaster last week that he had been on a walk in a cemetery garden when two men, speaking a language he did not understand, ran towards him, one in an agitated state. "He threw me to the ground and hit me. It all happened very quickly. I think they hit me and then left," said the man, whom LaSexta and other media identified as Domingo Tomas. The other seven detainees - six Spaniards and one person of North African origin - were arrested for assault, public disorder, hate crimes or damage to property, the Interior Ministry said. Migrants, many of them second-generation, make up about a third of Torre Pacheco's population of about 40,000. The area around the town also hosts large numbers of migrants who work as day labourers in agriculture, one of the pillars of the economy in the Murcia region. "I ask the migrant community not to leave their homes and not to confront rioters, because confrontation achieves nothing and ultimately makes us all afraid," local mayor Pedro Angel Roca told national broadcaster TVE. 'WE WANT PEACE' Speaking to radio station Cadena Ser, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska attributed the violence to anti-immigration rhetoric from far-right groups and political parties such as Vox, which he said unjustifiably links immigration to crime. The violence in Torre Pacheco was organised and fomented by calls on social media, the minister added. Vox leader Santiago Abascal denied any responsibility for the incidents and said the government's migration policies were to blame. Spain has been open to migration and its economic benefits, even as other European governments have tightened borders. But debate has reignited, led by Vox, as plans to relocate unaccompanied underage migrants from the Canary Islands to the rest of Spain have been confirmed in recent weeks. "Spain is not a country that hunts down immigrants, and if we have to take to the streets, it is to defend the rights of thousands of people who are completely trapped and distressed by this hunt for immigrants," Migration Minister Elma Saiz told El Pais newspaper. Abdelali, a North African migrant who lives in Torre Pacheco and declined to give his surname, said he was afraid of riding his scooter due to rioters throwing bottles. "We want peace. That's what we want, we don't want anything else," he told Reuters on Sunday. In 2000, violent anti-immigration protests broke out in the Almeria town of El Ejido in southern Spain after three Spanish citizens were killed by Moroccan migrants. REUTERS
Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Spain arrests eight after far-right groups and migrants clash
TORRE PACHECO, Spain - Spanish police have arrested eight people after three nights of clashes between far-right groups and North African migrants in a town in southeastern Spain, the government said on Monday. In one of Spain's worst such flare-ups of recent times, several dozen youths, some hooded, hurled glass bottles and other objects at riot police in Torre Pacheco on Sunday night, Reuters journalists saw. Police fired rubber bullets to quell the unrest. The trouble stemmed from an attack last week on a man in his late 60s that left him injured and recovering at home. The victim told LaSexta broadcaster last week that he had been on a walk in a cemetery garden when two men, speaking in a language he did not understand, ran towards him, one in an agitated state. "He threw me to the ground and hit me. It all happened very quickly. I think they hit me and then left," said the man, whom LaSexta and other media identified as Domingo Tomas. Authorities said they arrested two foreigners suspected of being involved in the assault though they were still looking for the main perpetrator, who had been identified. The other six - five Spaniards and one person of North African origin - were arrested for assault, public disorder, hate crimes or damage to property, the Interior Ministry said. Migrants, many of them second-generation, make up about a third of Torre Pacheco's population of about 40,000. The area around the town also hosts large numbers of migrants who work as day labourers in agriculture, one of the pillars of the economy in the Murcia region. "I ask the migrant community not to leave their homes and not to confront rioters, because confrontation achieves nothing and ultimately makes us all afraid," local mayor Pedro Angel Roca told national broadcaster TVE. 'WE WANT PEACE' Speaking to radio station Cadena Ser, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska attributed the violence to anti-immigration rhetoric from far-right groups and political parties such as Vox, which he said unjustifiably links immigration to crime. The violence in Torre Pacheco was organised and fomented by calls on social media, the minister added. Vox leader Santiago Abascal denied any responsibility for the incidents and said the goverment's migration policies were to blame. Spain has been open to migration and its economic benefits, even as other European governments have tightened borders. But debate has reignited, led by Vox, as plans to relocate unaccompanied underage migrants from the Canary Islands to the rest of Spain have been confirmed in recent weeks. "Spain is not a country that hunts down immigrants, and if we have to take to the streets, it is to defend the rights of thousands of people who are completely trapped and distressed by this hunt for immigrants," Migration Minister Elma Saiz told El Pais newspaper. Abdelali, a North African migrant who lives in Torre Pacheco and declined to give his surname, said he was afraid of riding his scooter for fear of being hit by bottles from rioters. "We want peace. That's what we want, we don't want anything else," he told Reuters on Sunday. In 2000, violent anti-immigration protests broke out in the Almeria town of El Ejido in southern Spain after three Spanish citizens were killed by Moroccan migrants. REUTERS
The Sun
a day ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Spain arrests eight after anti-migrant unrest
MADRID: Spanish police have arrested eight people in connection with rare anti-migrant unrest that rocked the town of Torre Pacheco over the weekend, the interior minister said on Monday. Three nights of violence erupted on Friday after a 68-year-old man told local media three youths of North African origin had beaten him up in the street. The southeastern town's mayor Pedro Angel Roca told Cadena SER radio that social media had created a 'breeding ground' for clashes that saw urban furniture broken and car windows smashed. Roca denounced 'groups coming trying to create violence', while Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told Cadena SER that law enforcement had intercepted various vehicles trying to enter the town with 'dangerous items' such as sticks. A far-right group named 'Deport Them Now' had posted a message online calling for attacks against people of North African origin. The authorities have arrested eight people, including two present during the attack on the elderly man whose role is being investigated, Marlaska said. The other six detainees, five Spaniards and one North African, were held for assault, damage and altercations, the central government's representative in the Murcia region, Mariola Guevara Cava, wrote on X. The Civil Guard has deployed 90 officers to quell the unrest and more would be sent 'until this concludes', Marlaska said. The Moroccan Association for the Integration of Immigrants said in a statement that 'threats, attacks and fear in the streets must end', demanding 'real protection for the affected people'. The mayor told state television channel TVE that 30 percent of the town's inhabitants were immigrants, mainly of Moroccan origin, the vast majority of whom were employed in seasonal farm work. 'These are people who have been living in the town for more than 20 years', he said. Moroccans are the most common nationality among Spain's foreign population, numbering more than 920,000 according to the latest official figures. – AFP
