Stefan J Bos
Moroccan community leaders in the southeastern town of Torre Pacheco have called for calm after four nights of violent clashes between North African migrants and far-right protesters.
The unrest erupted after a local man in his 60s was assaulted last week.
Authorities have since arrested 14 people, including three Moroccan suspects, one of whom—a 19-year-old—was detained in northern Spain on assault charges.
Far-right groups launched anti-migrant protests, prompting the deployment of over 120 Civil Guard officers.
Violence escalated in the San Antonio neighborhood, where masked protesters hurled fireworks at police, who responded with rubber bullets.
Hate messages online, including calls to attack Moroccans and torch homes, led to a hate crimes investigation and the shutdown of a Telegram channel named “DeportThemNowSpain.” Police also arrested the leader of a supremacist group near Barcelona.
Moroccan residents, who comprise nearly a third of the town’s population, urged restraint. “We want peace. We don’t want violence or criminals—whether migrants or locals,” said Abdelali, a longtime community member.
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