Violent clashes erupt between far-right groups and migrants in Spanish town
MADRID - Violent clashes erupted between far-right groups, local residents and North African migrants in a town in southeastern Spain late on Saturday following an attack on an elderly man by unknown assailants earlier in the week.
Five people were hurt and one was arrested during the unrest in Torre-Pacheco, local officials told Reuters, in one of the worst such episodes in the country in recent decades. The town was quieter on Sunday, but government sources said more arrests were expected.
Videos posted on social media showed men dressed in clothes bearing far-right symbols and migrants carrying Moroccan flags hurling objects at each other in Saturday night's violence, which followed several days of lower intensity unrest.
Tensions flared up between local residents and migrants after the elderly man was attacked in the street on Wednesday, causing injuries from which he is recovering at home. The reasons behind the assault are unclear and no one has been arrested.
The central government's representative in the area, Mariola Guevara, told Spanish public TV the attack was being investigated.
She also denounced "hate speech" and "incitement to violence," as far-right groups moved into the town, and said additional Guardia Civil officers would be deployed to deal with the violence.
Nearly a third of Torre-Pacheco's population is of foreign origin, according to local government data.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Govt will continue to support families, including growing group of seniors: PM Wong at PCF Family Day
Singapore From Normal stream to Parliament: 3 Singapore politicians share their journeys
Business 29 Jollibean workers get help from MOM, other agencies, over unpaid salaries
Singapore Segregated recycling bins found to lower contamination rate as more spring up
Asia Dr Mahathir resting in hospital after feeling fatigued during birthday gathering
Singapore Government looking at enhancing laws around vaping to tackle issue of drug-laced vapes in Singapore
Singapore Why the vape scourge in Singapore concerns everyone
Singapore I lost my daughter to Kpod addiction: Father of 19-year-old shares heartbreak and lessons
The area surrounding the town, which is located in the Murcia region, also hosts large numbers of migrants who work as day labourers in agriculture, one of the pillars of the regional economy.
Less than two weeks ago, Murcia's government had to backtrack on a proposal to buy housing to accommodate unaccompanied migrant minors as the ruling conservative People's Party (PP) was threatened by far-right Vox, whose support the PP needs to pass laws.
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
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
14 minutes ago
- Straits Times
US and Ukraine in talks on drone investment deal
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Ukrainian service members standing next to a deep strike unmanned aerial vehicle before its launch toward Russian territory. KYIV - Ukraine and the United States are in detailed talks on a deal involving US investment in Kyiv's domestic drone production, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on July 18. The announcement comes a day after President Volodymyr Zelensky tasked a reshuffled new government with scaling up Ukraine's arms industry and strengthening ties with its strategic partners. Ms Svyrydenko, speaking to reporters alongside several other new ministers in the capital Kyiv, said the deal would also lead to the US, Ukraine's biggest military backer in its war with Russia, purchasing Ukrainian drones. 'We plan to sign a 'drone deal' with the United States. We are discussing investments in the expansion of production of Ukrainian drones by the US,' she said. 'That is, we are talking about the purchase of a large batch of Ukrainian drones.' Ms Svyrydenko added that a political decision on the deal had been made by Mr Zelensky and President Donald Trump, and that officials were already hashing out the details. Mr Zelensky told the New York Post this week that he and Mr Trump were considering a deal for Washington to buy battlefield-tested Ukrainian drones in exchange for Kyiv purchasing weapons from the US. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Critical infrastructure in S'pore under attack by cyber espionage group: Shanmugam Singapore What is UNC3886, the group that attacked Singapore's critical information infrastructure? Singapore Alleged Kpod peddler filmed trying to flee raid in Bishan charged with 6 offences Asia Indonesia court jails former trade minister for 4½ years in sugar graft case Singapore Singapore police in contact with Indonesian authorities over baby trafficking allegations Singapore NTU upholds zero grade for student accused of using AI in essay; panel found 14 false citations or data Singapore 7-year-old girl, cabby taken to hospital after vehicle pile-up in City Hall area Singapore Former NUH male nurse charged after he allegedly molested man at hospital The Ukrainian government under Svyrydenko is expected to shore up ties with the Trump administration, which has grown increasingly critical of Russia since it stepped up air strikes on Ukraine. Ms Svyrydenko is well-known in Washington, having negotiated a high-level deal offering the US preferential access to Ukraine's mineral wealth that will feed a reconstruction fund. At the briefing in Kyiv, economy minister Oleksiy Sobolev said the board of a joint US-Ukrainian fund will meet for the first time by the end of the summer. REUTERS
Straits Times
14 minutes ago
- Straits Times
South African water polo player Matthew Neser crowdfunds to compete at World Aquatics C'ships
South Africa's Matthew Neser in action against Italy in the group stage of the World Aquatics Championships men's water polo competition. SINGAPORE – While the top water polo nations' expenses for the July 11-Aug 3 World Aquatics Championships (WCH) are taken care of by their respective associations, the South African men's team had to pay their own way to Singapore. In particular, Matthew Neser had to traverse three continents and 'swimming a marathon' to compete at the OCBC Aquatic Centre. After scoring once in his team's 27-4 loss to Australia in the 13th-16th semi-finals on July 18, the 23-year-old told The Straits Times: 'We had to pay 38,000 rand (S$2,800) each, which was quite a lot, so I created the crowdfunding page in May to cover the costs of travel, accommodation and tournament fees. 'As someone who has always believed in earning everything through hard work, I never imagined I'd be in a position to ask for help like this. But, with such short notice and limited resources, I reached out to my community, friends and supporters as a last resort.' Committing to swim one metre for every rand raised, Neser received 42,000 rand and swam 42km in an outdoor pool at his club in Barcelona. Beyond the fund-raising, he has come a long way since he started playing water polo at age nine after being influenced by his older brothers Dylan and Jamie. After making his 'life-changing' WCH debut in 2024, he was inspired to quit his jobs – one as a salesman and one with an artificial intelligence company – to pursue water polo full time, as he joined Spanish side Club Natacio Catalunya. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Critical infrastructure in S'pore under attack by cyber espionage group: Shanmugam Singapore What is UNC3886, the group that attacked Singapore's critical information infrastructure? Singapore Alleged Kpod peddler filmed trying to flee raid in Bishan charged with 6 offences Asia Indonesia court jails former trade minister for 4½ years in sugar graft case Singapore Singapore police in contact with Indonesian authorities over baby trafficking allegations Singapore NTU upholds zero grade for student accused of using AI in essay; panel found 14 false citations or data Singapore 7-year-old girl, cabby taken to hospital after vehicle pile-up in City Hall area Singapore Former NUH male nurse charged after he allegedly molested man at hospital While Neser shared that water polo is popular in South Africa – 'every school's main sport is rugby and water polo' – the support and infrastructure is still lagging behind the European powerhouses. To play at the WCH Singapore, one of his teammates also had to organise a raffle and auction four personal items to raise funds. He added: 'We still play part time, we practise three times a week, and if we are lucky, we get in a game once a week... we could definitely do much better to get good systems in place to build and strengthen the sport.' What drives the South African players is the chance to compete at the Olympics, after they found out on social media that they were withdrawn by Swimming South Africa despite qualifying for Paris 2024. Romania and Canada replaced them in the men and women's competitions respectively. Neser said: 'When we got pulled out, it was a big blow. But my goal has always been to go to the Olympics, and water polo keeps me accountable and my head sane, so maybe another four years is good for me. I enjoy the sport, and the process and build-up to the Olympics is fun.' The South Africans will meet Singapore on July 20 in a battle to avoid the wooden spoon, after the hosts lost 21-8 to Asian Games silver medallists China, who will play Australia in the 13th-14th play-off. Shaunn Lok, who scored twice in front of home fans that included students from Bedok South Secondary School and Waterway Primary School, said: 'Today's team result is an improvement from the Asian championships (where China won 24-8), but we still have a lot to prove and this team is more capable than what today's scoreline shows. 'We can't beat China overnight, so little by little, every chance we get to play them, we want to be able to exceed our expectations or improve from our last game. 'We'll definitely try to get a victory in our last game. We're playing for our family, for ourselves and to show we are not just a 'joke team' here and we are a team to take seriously in the future, and even now. That's what we want to showcase against South Africa.' Meanwhile, in the crossover matches, Olympic champions and world No. 5 Serbia beat 12th-ranked Japan 21-14 to set up a last-eight showdown against the sixth-ranked Americans. The other July 20 quarter-final match-ups will see defending champions and top-ranked Croatia meeting world No. 3 Hungary, who beat the 14th-ranked Romania 15-11; world No. 2 Spain taking on world No. 8 Montenegro, who beat 13th-ranked Canada 22-10; and world No. 7 Italy facing fourth-ranked Greece, who outclassed world No. 10 Brazil 17-5.
Straits Times
14 minutes ago
- Straits Times
El Salvador to send detained Venezuelans to Caracas in exchange for Americans held in Venezuela, sources say
Find out what's new on ST website and app. WASHINGTON - El Salvador's government will send detained Venezuelans to Caracas in exchange for Americans held in Venezuela, two U.S. government officials told Reuters on Friday. One of the officials said El Salvador would send 238 Venezuelans held in its maximum security CECOT prison to Caracas and that the Venezuelan government would release five U.S. citizens and five permanent residents to U.S. custody. The second official confirmed the exchange was taking place and said the figures appeared to be close to what was expected. The Venezuelan communications ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The U.S. State Department declined to comment. The White House and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. REUTERS
