Police Arrest Far-Right Leader After Anti-Immigrant Riots in Spanish Town
The man, who was identified only by his initials C.L.F., is a local leader of Deport Them Now, a group that has spread hateful messages about immigrants on the Telegram app, driving days of riots in the town, in the Murcia region. He was arrested on Monday and accused of inciting violence. Police also seized the man's computers and tried to limit access to the group's Telegram channels.
The town was bracing for more violence on Tuesday evening, as the authorities deployed dozens of riot police and members of the civil guard. The recent clashes are among the worst public violence in Spain, where for years a liberal government has relaxed immigration laws, making it easier for undocumented immigrants to become legal citizens.
For four consecutive nights, rioters attacked businesses linked to the town's Moroccan residents, trashing shawarma restaurants and halal grocers. They also vandalized stores catering to the town's other immigrant communities, including Pakistani, Turkish and Latin American businesses. Some residents tried to protect their homes and business.
The rioters clashed with the police, and by Tuesday morning 11 people had been arrested, 10 of whom were linked to the far-right groups that came from elsewhere.
Prosecutors in Murcia said they were also investigating the leader of another anti-immigrant political party, Vox, for using hate speech that may also have whipped up the violence. The party's regional leader, José Ángel Antelo, is a professional basketball player turned politician, who was elected to the Murcia regional assembly in 2023 on a ticket attacking Spain's immigration policies.
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