Fourteen people have been arrested, including three suspects of Moroccan origin, after the brutal assault of a Spanish pensioner by migrants triggered unrest in the town of Torre Pacheco, Murcia. The violence exploded after footage circulated on social media purporting to show the attack, sparking outrage in the town of 40,000—home to a large immigrant population.
On Sunday night, chaos gripped the streets as dozens of young locals clashed with riot police, hurling glass bottles and other projectiles in protest.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez took to X with a vague message, saying: “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.”
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, rather than addressing the causes of the unrest, blamed it on so-called anti-immigration rhetoric from right-wing voices, singling out the VOX party.
But VOX leader Santiago Abascal hit back, rejecting any link between his party and the riots. He pointed the finger instead at the government’s open-door immigration policies, which he said were directly responsible for allowing the alleged attackers into the country.
“It has stolen our borders, it has stolen our peace, and it has stolen our prosperity,” Abascal said.
