Racial clashes have erupted in a small town in southern Spain following the assault of a pensioner and days of mis-information online.
Several people were injured, some seriously, on Saturday night when gangs of young men ‘took over’ the streets of Torre Pacheco in Murcia.
According to newspaper La Verdad, some local Spaniards planned to ‘hunt’ North African immigrants in retaliation for a brutal attack against a pensioner earlier in the week – allegedly by a Moroccan youth.
It was the second night in a row of violence, after a planned peaceful protest on Friday turned ugly when it became overrun with agitators.
It all began this week when local pensioner Domingo, 68, was attacked by three men in the early hours of Wednesday while out on his daily walk.
He was left with a black eye and nasty facial injuries after he was approached by three youths, reported to be of North African origin, before one of them launched a random assault, it is alleged.
According to reports, the attack may have been part of a so-called ‘happy slapping’ trend on social media, which encourages users to film themselves carrying out random acts of violence. Nothing was stolen during the attack and there was no verbal exchange.
After pictures of Domingo’s injuries and the details of his attackers surfaced online, the story was jumped upon by far-right forces on X and other social media platforms.
A video showing an old man being attacked by a group of Moroccans was widely shared on Whatsapp and social media. It claimed to be footage of Domingo’s assault, but it was, infact, an entirely different incident.
Violence began on Friday
On Friday evening, hundreds gathered in the square outside the local Town Hall under the banner ‘Torre Pacheco, free of violence, free of crime.’
Moroccan residents joined in, holding banners with messages of peace and coexistence. But the atmosphere quickly turned when a minority in the crowd began chanting Francoist slogans and hurling racist abuse.
Tensions escalated and insults gave way to assaults. According to police sources, Moroccan residents were removed from the area for their safety, but isolated groups pursued confrontations.
One Moroccan teenager was filmed being punched, kicked, and slapped by at least four individuals, as a bystander shouted encouragement. The video was later reviewed by police.
Local police and Guardia Civil officers moved in to prevent further clashes, eventually resorting to baton charges as confrontations spilled through the streets.
Scattered violence continued into the night, with reports of property damage and skirmishes between far-right groups and young North Africans in various parts of town.
Podemos called for the resignation of Government Delegate Mariola Guevara, accusing her of failing to deploy sufficient security for a rally that drew some 2,000 people. A party spokesperson claimed only local police were on the ground to respond to what had become a volatile situation.
Violence escalates on Saturday
Things then got worse on Saturday night. It came after figures such as Desokupa’s Dani Esteve and Telegram groups like Deport Them Now openly called for retaliatory action.
Some 50 police officers were patrolling the centre of the small town on Saturday, but they were unable to control the skirmishes.
The epicentre of the chaos was in the San Antonio neighborhood. At around 8.30pm, numerous members of extremist groups took over the area to demonstrate their opposition to immigration.
The radicals carried out some kind of ‘hunt’, trying to locate some immigrants at their homes, reports La Verdad.
This was then countered by a group of immigrants, leading to clashes in the streets.
Local minister Mariola Guevara has now demanded reinforcements from riot police in Valencia – with troops expected to arrive on Sunday.
Mayor Pedro Angel Roca had called for calm on Saturday, which ultimately fell on deaf ears.
He said: ‘If we want to show that we’re fed up with crime and violence, we can’t do it with more violence.’
Roca is expected to ask for a permanent increase in Guardia Civil patrols next week amid fears of race riots.
Regional minister Sira Rego, blasted the ‘racist persecution’ of immigrants on Saturday.
‘The far right and the right point the finger, and their followers act,’ she wrote on her Bluesky social media account.
Read more Spain news at the Spanish Eye.
