Torre-Pacheco - Saba:
Spanish authorities announced the arrest of ten people following three nights of rioting between right-wing extremist groups and North African migrants in the town of Torre-Pacheco in the southeast of the country.
Mariola Guevara, the central government delegate in the Murcia region, said in a post on the X platform, according to Agence France-Presse, that "the number of arrests so far has reached ten," noting that the town, which has a population of around 40,000, has witnessed clashes and violence targeting migrants in recent days.
According to Guevara, three of those arrested are migrants who were arrested as part of an investigation into the assault on a 68-year-old man who was severely beaten in the street last Wednesday. She explained that two of them do not live in the town, while the third was arrested in the Basque Country while attempting to leave the country for France.
The other seven arrested are Spanish citizens and a Moroccan. They were arrested for their involvement in the riots that followed the incident and face charges including "disturbing public order," "incitement to hatred," and "willful harm".
Guevara confirmed that authorities had identified approximately 80 people involved in the clashes, most of them from outside Torre Pacheco, and many of them had previous convictions for violent acts.
The riots erupted after a video emerged showing Domingo, a 68-year-old retiree, being violently attacked by three young men of North African origin, according to what the victim told local media. He appeared to have a swollen face from the beatings.
The attack sparked a wave of anger in the town, which was exploited by far-right groups from both inside and outside the town to organize street rallies targeting immigrants, particularly those of North African origin. In response to the escalation, authorities increased the deployment of security forces to contain the situation.
It is worth noting that the Moroccan community is the largest in Spain, numbering approximately 920,000 at the beginning of last year, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics, followed by the Romanian community with approximately 620,000 members.