Authorities have arrested 14 people and ramped up police presence in the southern Spanish town of Torre Pacheco following a wave of anti-migrant violence sparked by an attack on a 68-year-old pensioner.
Three young men of Moroccan origin have been arrested on suspicion of assaulting the pensioner, identified locally as Domingo Tomás Domínguez, during his morning walk last Wednesday. Domínguez told local media that he was thrown to the ground and hit by unknown assailants who did not demand money or speak a language he understood. A photo of his badly bruised face circulated widely online.
Although police later said a viral video used to incite anger was unrelated to the assault, misinformation spread rapidly on social media, prompting calls from far-right groups to retaliate against migrants. Over the weekend, mobs of youths, some hooded and armed with bats and sticks, attacked cars, businesses, and individuals of North African descent.
A kebab shop was vandalized, and journalists reported clashes between rioters and riot police, who were pelted with bottles and debris. More than 130 officers from the Guardia Civil and local police forces have now been deployed to restore order in the town of 40,000, home to a large immigrant workforce employed in the region’s agricultural industry.
Torre Pacheco mayor Pedro Ángel Roca urged calm and appealed to the town’s migrant community “not to leave their homes and not to confront rioters.” He emphasized that many had lived peacefully in the town for more than two decades.
The suspects in the original attack are reportedly in their early 20s and not residents of Torre Pacheco. One of them was arrested in the Basque Country while trying to board a train to France.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska condemned the violence and blamed far-right rhetoric, singling out the Vox party, Spain’s third-largest political force. He stated, “This violence is the fruit of hate speech, plain and simple.”
Vox leader Santiago Abascal rejected any responsibility, instead blaming Spain’s immigration policy. “It has stolen our borders, it has stolen our peace, and it has stolen our prosperity,” he said.
Meanwhile, Murcia prosecutors have launched a hate crime investigation against Vox’s regional president, José Ángel Antelo, who blamed the violence on Spain’s mainstream parties, the PP and PSOE.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also weighed in, saying on social media: “What we are seeing in Torre-Pacheco challenges us all. We must speak out, act firmly, and defend the values that unite us. Spain is a country of rights, not hate.”
Authorities continue to monitor social media channels for incitement, with one extremist Telegram group already shut down after urging followers to travel to Torre Pacheco for organized “hunts” of North Africans.
The situation remains tense, with residents—particularly from immigrant communities—expressing growing fear for their safety.
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