Spain: clashes between far-right groups and migrants
The town of Torre-Pacheco in southern Spain has been the scene of rioting and racist violence over the last few days. The unrest erupted after a pensioner was reportedly attacked by young people with a migrant background and right-wing extremists launched a "hunt for migrants" in the town where many agricultural workers from Morocco live. The police sent in reinforcements and ten people were arrested.
Put an end to politically motivated incitement
For El País the events send a serious warning signal:
“The incidents in Torre Pacheco show that the Spanish far right - including Vox, a party that co-governed in Murcia - is fuelling hatred of immigrants in order to capitalise on it politically. The fact that their success may be limited for now doesn't make this any better. ... It is the authorities' task to put a stop to these activities, to be alert to potential riots and to react against their organisers with the full force of the law. They must also work to ensure that marginalisation is not used as a pretext to justify violence that cannot be justified.”
A convenient diversion
In Eldiario.es, political scientist Anna López blames unbridled neoliberalism:
“It's particularly worrying that this is happening now, at a time when a disturbing turnaround in citizens' perception of immigration has been registered. In June 2024 only 16.9 percent of respondents in a survey considered immigration to be one of the country's three main problems. By September, that figure had risen to 30.4 percent. ... Why do we accept migrants being used as scapegoats? ... Simply because someone has convinced the poorest that others who are even poorer are to blame for their problems, rather than an unbridled neoliberalism, which, by definition, seeks entrepreneurial gains, not social ones. The truth is that the anti-immigration discourse is a convenient diversion tactic.”