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AsiaOne
a day 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.
Reuters
a day ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Spain arrests 10 after far-right groups and migrants clash
TORRE PACHECO, Spain, July 14 (Reuters) - 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. 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.
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
Times
2 days ago
- Times
Anti-migrant rioters attack homes of ‘foreigners' in Spanish town
Nine people have been arrested after three days of anti-immigrant clashes in a town in southeastern Spain following an attack on a pensioner. Police reinforcements have been deployed to Torre-Pacheco, in the Murcia region, where five people have been injured and nine detained in the disturbances, officials said on Monday. Far-right groups and residents have fought against youths of north African origin several times since a 68-year-old Spaniard was attacked on Wednesday. Public anger mounted after a photograph of his badly bruised face and a video purporting to show the attack were posted online. The man, Domingo Tomás, told Spanish media that the incident occurred as he took his usual early morning walk at 5.30am. He came across two young people of Maghrebi origin, he said, when a third ran at him and hit him with a stick, knocking him down before beating him again. 'I didn't understand what they were saying as it was in another language. I didn't say anything to provoke them,' he told El Español news website. 'I had my watch and house keys with me, and that young man didn't even take the watch — he just hit me to hurt me. He hit me for fun. 'In town, they say the young kids are doing a dare, hitting someone to see who hits harder, and I think that's why they did it — to film everything.' Two of the three suspects have been arrested, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, the interior minister, said on Monday. Police were still looking for the main perpetrator. Six others — five Spaniards and one north African resident — were arrested for assault, public disorder, hate crimes or damage to property, the interior ministry said on Monday morning. Later in the day, a ninth person was detained in connection with an attack on a kebab shop. The local mayor, Pedro Ángel Roca, called on the 'migrant community not to leave their homes and not to confront rioters', telling the national broadcaster, TVE: 'Confrontation achieves nothing and ultimately makes us all afraid.' Tomás said that the video purporting to show the attack was not of him, prompting media to report that it had been circulated by far-right groups hoping to whip up anger. One group, named 'Deport Them Now', posted a message on social media calling for attacks against people of north African origin. • Police should disclose ethnicity of suspects, says Met chief On Friday, the city council had called a peaceful demonstration to condemn the attack, but tensions were already running high. A handful of youths of Maghrebi origin arrived, as did members of far-right groups who attacked them despite the presence of police officers. 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 came after lower intensity unrest. Several dozen youths from far-right groups, some hooded, hurled glass bottles and objects at riot police in Torre-Pacheco on Sunday night. Police fired rubber bullets to quell the unrest. Groups of violent individuals, many of them from outside the municipality, roamed the town's streets armed with sticks and went to homes where they knew foreigners lived, according to the local newspaper La Opinión de Murcia. Police intercepted more than 20 vehicles attempting to enter the town, with some occupants carrying sticks and batons, Grande-Marlaska said. The Murcian town has 40,000 inhabitants, 30 per cent of whom are of Maghrebi origin. The area surrounding the town also hosts large numbers of migrants who work as day labourers in agriculture, one of the pillars of the regional economy. Politicians have appealed for calm. Grande-Marlaska blamed far-right groups and the populist right-wing Vox party. 'It's a consequence of the far-right's rhetoric, endorsed by the right, which doesn't question it. It's Vox's fault and its rhetoric,' he said. He criticised the political party's association of illegal immigration with crime when interior ministry data 'doesn't support it'. The Vox leader, Santiago Abascal, denied any responsibility for the incidents and said the government's migration policies were to blame. Abdelali, a north African resident who declined to give his surname, said he was now afraid of being attacked on the streets. He said: 'We want peace. That's what we want, we don't want anything else. I ride my scooter and I'm afraid of being hit by a bottle.' In 2000, violent anti-immigration protests broke out in the town of El Ejido in southern Spain after three Spanish citizens were killed by Moroccan migrants.
