Spanish town sees more anti-migrant unrest after attack on pensioner

Tensions continued to simmer for a third night in a southern Spanish town which has been gripped by clashes between police and far-right agitators.

The sleepy farming community of Torre Pacheco turned into a 'powder keg' after the brutal beating of a pensioner sparked outrage last week.

The 68-year-old man told Spanish media that he was set upon in the street by three men of North African origin, suffering severe injuries to his head. 

The man, named locally as Domingo, said the men jumped on him and hit him before he was discovered covered in blood, lying on the floor by his wife last Wednesday. 

Police today said two people involved in the assault had been arrested, but said they were still looking for the main perpetrator. The suspects' identities were not disclosed.

A peaceful protest was held calling for more security in the town, but violent clashes, driven by anti-immigrant groups, later began to take hold.

'People from outside the municipality and even outside the region, armed with sticks and shouting, went to homes where they knew migrants lived, in order to intimidate them,' local media outlet La Opinión de Murcia reported.

Riots over the weekend were organised by far-right groups coming from outside the town and fuelled by racist messages and calls for violence on social media, a Spanish government official said last night.

Authorities found posts that had incited a planned 'hunt for migrants' on July 15, 16 and 17, Murcia delegate Mariola Guevara said, with the so-called 'hunt' beginning a day early.

She said that one person had already been arrested for public disorder in relation to the 'calls to hate' and 'incitement to violence', but said that 'many more have been identified' and that there would be more arrests in due course.

'During the early hours of last night, an attempted confrontation was contained thanks to the joint deployment of the Civil Guard and Local Police, which allowed for a peaceful night without serious incidents,' she said. 

Almost 100 additional police officers are reportedly being deployed to the town to shore up the security situation, with videos showing armed riot cops patrolling the streets. 

Mayor of Torre Pacheco, Pedro Ángel Roca (PP), thanked the State Security Forces for their work, which he said prevented escalation. 

'Our people want to live together in peace, and we will continue working to ensure that this is the case,' he said. 

Violence on Sunday saw six people were arrested, four of whom were of Moroccan origin and two Spaniards, according to police.

A heightened police presence last night meant the situation was largely contained on Sunday night. 

'If it weren't for all the police forces here today, this would be another pitched battle,' the town's mayor said.

There has been apprehension and fear among the 400,000 residents in the town, around a third of whom are from immigrant backgrounds. 

Ayoub, a resident of Moroccan origin, told local media that several men from outside the village come to provoke businesses run by foreigners.

Another terrified resident named as Nabil, 31, reportedly said of the men travelling to the town: 'If they catch you, they'll beat you up.'

Podemos MP and spokesperson in the Regional Assembly of Murcia, Maria Marin, condemned the 'savage' attack on the man.

She warned that the municipality 'cannot become a war zone for far-right gangs.'

'We extend our complete solidarity to the victim and her family and demand the maximum punishment for those responsible, wherever they may come from,' Marín said in a statement.

She added that she condemned 'the manipulation of the far right, which once again emerges like vultures every time there is a tragedy.' 

Spain's youth minister, Sira Rego, condemned the violence against migrants in a message on Bluesky, blaming the 'ultra-right' for the unrest. 

Fernando López Miras, The conservative head of the Murcian regional government, said in a post on X: 'Torre Pacheco must get back to normal. I understand the frustration but nothing justifies violence.'