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Straits Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Spain tightens scrutiny of far-right groups after clashes
Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: A demonstrator gestures while wearing a shirt reading, \"Spain. Honour and Glory\", during anti-migrant unrest, following an attack on an elderly man by unknown assailants last week, in Torre Pacheco, Spain, July 15, 2025. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura/File Photo MADRID - Spain said on Thursday it would step up investigations into suspected crimes by members of far-right and racist groups after four nights of clashes with African migrants in some of the nation's worst such unrest of recent times. Authorities have detained 11 people and filed more than 60 complaints over hate crimes and disorder since violence erupted last Friday following an attack on a local man in his 60s in the town of Torre Pacheco in southeastern Murcia region. Police have detained three Moroccan men over the attack in a town where one third of the inhabitants are of migrant origin. The Interior Ministry said Spain's terrorism and organised crime intelligence specialists have been asked to include hate crimes within their remit and to monitor online spaces for incitement to violence. Far-right groups will be investigated for links to national movements, the ministry said, after government claims that Vox, the nationalist party that is now Spain's third largest electoral force, was inciting violence in Torre Pacheco. "We cannot allow hatred to take root in our society," Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said during a meeting of law enforcement officials. "Crime is not on the rise, nor is it linked to migration," he added, countering a common refrain of far-right groups. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Driverless bus in Sentosa gets green light to run without safety officer in first for S'pore World US strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites, says new report Business 5 things to know about Kuok Hui Kwong, tycoon Robert Kuok's daughter and Shangri-La Asia head honcho Asia Air India probe of Boeing 787 fuel control switches finds no issues Singapore Man charged over manufacturing DIY Kpods at Yishun home; first such case in Singapore Singapore Sex first, then you can sell my flat: Women property agents fend off indecent proposals and harassment Singapore Two women jailed for submitting fake university certificates to MOM for employment passes Singapore Fatal abuse of Myanmar maid in Bishan: Traffic Police officer sentenced to 10 years' jail Vox has denied responsibility for the unrest and blamed the socialist-led government's migration policies. Despite a 54% rise in foreign residents between 2011 and 2024, crime has dropped seven percentage points, with hate crimes down 13.8% last year and Spain among the world's 25 safest nations, Grande-Marlaska said. 'UNACCEPTABLE ATTITUDES' As well as the Torre Pacheco trouble, in Alcala de Henares, west of Madrid, there were protests earlier this month after a man - identified as Malian by El Pais newspaper - was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault outside a migrant reception centre. Four people arrested during an unauthorised protest in front of the same centre are being investigated for disorder. Grande-Marlaska condemned the Torre Pacheco attack that triggered the unrest and highlighted swift police action to detain the three suspects including the suspected main perpetrator who was attempting to flee to France. Calls went out on social media for people to go to the town to "protect Spaniards" and "hunt north Africans". "These are unacceptable attitudes that have grown in recent years, encouraged by anonymity on social media, but also, and more seriously, by irresponsible politicians," the minister said. 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. REUTERS
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
Straits Times
14-07-2025
- Straits Times
Eight arrested after far-right groups and migrants clash in Spanish town
Find out what's new on ST website and app. People run on a street during clashes with 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 - 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 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. The trouble stemmed from an attack last week by unidentified assailants on an elderly man that left him injured and recovering at home. Authorities said two of those arrested were involved in that assault though they were still looking for the main perpetrator. 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. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore HSA intensifies crackdown on vapes; young suspected Kpod peddlers nabbed in Bishan, Yishun Singapore Man charged over distributing nearly 3 tonnes of vapes in one day in Bishan, Ubi Avenue 3 Singapore Singapore to train more aviation and maritime officials from around the world Business Singapore's economy sees surprise expansion in Q2 despite US tariff uncertainty: Advance estimate Singapore High Court dismisses appeal of drink driver who killed one after treating Tampines road like racetrack Singapore 18 years' jail for woman who hacked adoptive father to death after tussle over Sengkang flat Singapore Jail, caning for man who had 285 child porn videos, including those that show infants Singapore Three power firms get co-funding to study carbon capture, storage to help Singapore decarbonise 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, citing organisation and calls on social media. Police intercepted more than 20 vehicles attempting to enter the town, with some occupants carrying sticks and extendable batons, he said. "There are gatherings to resolve the issue (assault) for us. We don't want those," mayor Pedro Angel Roca told national broadcaster TVE. 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 hurled by the rioters. "We want peace. That's what we want, we don't want anything else," he told Reuters on Sunday on a street in Torre Pacheco. 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
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Relieved foreigners leave a tense Israel after truce with Iran
Australian nationals wait to board a bus heading to Ben Gurion International airport for an evacuation flight to Australia, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura Australian nationals walk to board a bus heading to Ben Gurion International airport for an evacuation flight to Australia, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura Foreign nationals wait in line to board a bus to be evacuated from Israel, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura Australian nationals wait in line to board a bus heading to Ben Gurion International airport for an evacuation flight to Australia, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura Foreign nationals wait in line to board a bus to be evacuated from Israel, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura TEL AVIV - Foreign nationals leaving Israel on Tuesday voiced both relief for themselves and anxiety for family and friends staying behind as uncertainty hung over the country hours after a fragile ceasefire deal with Iran was announced. As part of evacuation plans organised by their countries' embassies, two large groups of Canadians and Australians gathered at a hotel in Tel Aviv, the former to board a bus to Jordan and the latter a flight to Dubai. "Now I know what being scared actually feels like. I don't think I've known fear like this before," said Tamar Banon, 32, a dual citizen of Canada and Israel who lives in Montreal and was visiting family when the air war broke out on June 13. A ceasefire was announced by U.S. President Donald Trump in the early hours of Tuesday, but the situation remained tense with Israel accusing Iran of violating it and threatening retaliation. Iran denied the violation. Banon said she remained worried for her family and for Israel as a whole. "I want them to have a good life without having to think about, you know, war and missiles and rockets." Israel started the war with the stated aim of destroying Iran's nuclear capabilities. Its strikes killed hundreds of Iranian civilians as well as some senior military commanders and nuclear scientists, while damaging uranium enrichment sites. Iran retaliated with missiles that forced people in Israel to huddle in safe rooms and bomb shelters, often several times in a single night or day. The strikes killed 28 people and damaged hundreds of buildings. The United States entered the war at the weekend, unleashing 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs on fortified, underground Iranian nuclear installations. 'INCREDIBLY GUILTY' Australian Mark Avraham, 40, had flown in from Sydney to visit family and friends and take part in Pride celebrations. Despite experiencing 12 days of war, he plans to emigrate to Israel soon, in part due to what he described as rising antisemitism back home. "Two days before I left Australia, someone tried to run me over in their car while shouting antisemitic abuse," he said. "I feel incredibly guilty that I get to leave and they have to stay," he said, referring to friends and family in Israel. "But I know that they will be safe and they will look after each other, and I will be back in less than 12 months to be with them." Fellow Australian Taiba Ash, 35, from Melbourne, had come to Israel for what was supposed to be a fun-filled family holiday. She was on a night out with her husband when the first air raid siren rang out to warn people to take shelter. "We had no idea what to do," she said, recounting how they ran back to their rental apartment, woke up their children and stood under the stairs in terror. The family later found out there was a bomb shelter nearby, so for night after night they jumped out of bed to run there whenever sirens blared. "It's not safe for our kids to be here. It's not safe for their emotional wellbeing as well as their physical wellbeing. They are scared and nervous, and they feel our energy, even though we're trying to mask it," she said. Ash had no regrets about leaving. "I think what I'm most looking forward to going home to is a full night's sleep." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
