Murcia witnessed further clashes on Sunday as violence between far-right agitators and North African immigrants entered its third night.
The town of Torre Pacheco has become a battleground following the assault of a 68-year-old Spanish pensioner named Domingo, allegedly at the hands of a young Moroccan man, last Wednesday.
At least six people have been injured and one arrested following two nights of clashes on Friday and Saturday – although the Guardia Civil vowed many more detentions were to come.
The force said it had identified several suspects for spreading hate messages online, including encouraging people to ‘hunt’ immigrants with the aim of attacking them.
A report by respected newspaper El Español said dozens of far-right agitators have flown in from across Spain to stir up trouble, including from Madrid, Barcelona and Alicante.
There have so far been scenes of rock and bottle throwing and fights involving machetes, while multiple vehicles have been damaged and bins set on fire.
Authorities have identified several individuals suspected of hate speech, physical assaults, and property destruction.
On the second night (Saturday), one officer was struck in the mouth and another man had a head wound.
On Sunday morning, following meetings between Government Delegate Mariola Guevara, Mayor Pedro Angel Roca and the police, the Government of Murcia said there would be more arrests.
President of Murcia Fernando Lopez Miras, whose conservative Partido Popular (PP) shares power with hard-right party VOX, said: ‘They will be held accountable before the courts, and the full force of the law will fall upon them.’
But Francisco Lucas Ayala, the PSOE’s (Socialists) regional secretary in Murcia, accused Lopez Miras of ‘failing to condemn the racist messages in Torre Pacheco or the incendiary attitude of his partner VOX.’
He called for ‘a break with the far right and to stop this dangerous spiral of hatred with unforeseeable consequences.’
Meanwhile, the State Security Forces called for calm and cautioned the public to ‘avoid the spread of hoaxes.’
It said they are carrying out ‘permanent monitoring of social media’ to locate and prosecute those promoting riots or criminal acts.
Currently, 75 officers, including USECIC, GRS riot squads, and local citizen security patrols, are deployed in the area, with plans to add 20 more GRS reserves by Tuesday.
The operation remains adaptive and is being closely coordinated with local police.
Tensions in Torre Pacheco began to mount following the assault of local pensioner Domingo in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
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 trend on social media that encourages users to carry 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 was actually from a different incident.
Amid searing tensions, the influential UGT (United Workers’ Union), said it plans to call an assembly in Torre Pacheco and the Mar Menor region this coming week.
It said in a statement it wants to ‘try to calm the tensions and the climate of fear that is currently being felt’ and ‘stop the escalation of violence and hate speech.’
It also blasted the ‘hunt’ organised through social media ‘to instill fear among the local immigrant population.’
The Communist Party of the Region of Murcia expressed its concern about the ‘escalation of hatred’ toward the migrant population and called for ‘an immediate united response.’
It added: ‘We directly point the finger at the PP and VOX as the most responsible for being complicit in and sponsoring racist and xenophobic rhetoric…
‘The inaction by the Regional Government, coupled with the electoral opportunism of the right and the uncontrolled actions of neo-Nazi groups outside Torre Pacheco, will only contribute to an unprecedented social, neighborhood, and economic divide.’
Read more Spain news at the Spanish Eye.
