Getty ImagesA total of 14 people have been arrested and extra police have been deployed after an attack on a pensioner sparked anti-migrant unrest in a small town in southern Spain.
Three people of North African origin have been detained on suspicion of attacking the 68-year-old man in Torre Pacheco last Wednesday.
The unrest began after a video circulated on social media, inflaming the town of 40,000 people which is home to a large immigrant population.
The pensioner and police later said the video was unrelated to the incident but social media calls to find and attack the perpetrators multiplied quickly.
By Friday groups armed with batons could be seen roaming the streets of Torre Pacheco.
One far-right group called “Deport Them Now” called for attacks on people of North African origin. Further messages on social media have called for renewed attacks on immigrants over three days this week.
A leading member of the extremist group was detained in the north-eastern town of Mataró on suspicion of spreading hate speech.
The 68-year-old victim of last Wednesday’s attack, named locally as Domingo Tomás Domínguez, told Spanish media he was thrown to the ground and hit while taking his morning walk.
A photo circulating on social media showed his face bearing extensive bruising.
Police said the motive for the attack was unclear. Mr Domínguez said he was not asked to hand over money or his belongings and did not understand the language his attackers were speaking.
Police presence has been beefed up, with more than 130 officers from both the local police in the province of Murcia and Guardia Civil.
The three people arrested on suspicion of attacking the pensioner are all of Moroccan origin and in their early 20s, according to Spanish media, and none are residents of Torre Pacheco.
One of the suspects was arrested on Monday as he prepared to take a train from the Basque region to cross the border to France.
ReutersThe worst of the unrest occurred at the weekend, when groups of youths – some hooded – attacked vehicles and businesses. Clashes were also reported between far-right groups and people of North African origin.
On Sunday night journalists witnessed several dozen youths hurling glass bottles and other objects at riot police.
In a CCTV video shared by several Spanish outlets, a group of men, some armed with bats and sticks, could be seen vandalising a kebab shop on the same night.
Torre Pacheco mayor Pedro Ángel Roca called on the “migrant community not to leave their homes and not to confront rioters”.
Many of the town’s residents of migrant origin work in the area’s booming agricultural sector, and some have complained of no longer feeling safe in the town. The mayor said they had been living in Torre Pachecho for more than 20 years.
Users of an extreme-right Telegram group reportedly called on people to flock in from other parts of Spain and take part in “hunts” of North Africans over three days this week. Their channel has since been shut down.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska attributed the violence to anti-immigration rhetoric from far-right groups and parties such as Vox – Spain’s third largest political force.
ReutersVox leader Santiago Abascal denied responsibility for the riots and blamed “mass immigration” policies for allowing the alleged perpetrators of last week’s attack to enter the country.
Talking about migration, Abascal said: “It has stolen our borders, it has stolen our peace, and it has stolen our prosperity.”
Murcia prosecutors have opened an investigstion for hate crimes into the regional president of Vox, José Ángel Antelo, who last week said the violence was the “fault” of Spain’s two main parties – the Popular Party (PP) and Socialist Party (PSOE).
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on X: “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.”
