Far-Right Activist Detained Following Anti-Immigrant Unrest in Spanish Town

Spanish authorities have apprehended the leader of a far-right anti-immigrant organization accused of provoking days of violent confrontations between demonstrators and police in Torre Pacheco, a town in southeastern Spain.

Identified only by his initials C.L.F., the individual serves as a local head of Deport Them Now, a group notorious for spreading xenophobic rhetoric on the Telegram messaging platform. His arrest on Monday follows accusations of inciting violent actions. Law enforcement also confiscated his electronic devices and moved to restrict access to the group’s Telegram channels.

Authorities prepared for potential further unrest on Tuesday evening by deploying numerous riot police and civil guard units in Torre Pacheco. These disturbances represent some of the most severe public violence seen in Spain in recent years, a country where liberal government policies have eased immigration regulations to facilitate the legalization process for undocumented immigrants.

Over four consecutive nights, rioters targeted businesses associated with the town’s Moroccan community, including shawarma eateries and halal grocery stores. Other immigrant-owned establishments, such as those run by Pakistani, Turkish, and Latin American residents, were also vandalized. Local inhabitants sought to defend their homes and shops from the attacks.

Clashes between rioters and police resulted in 11 arrests by Tuesday morning, with 10 of those detained linked to far-right groups traveling from outside the region.

The Murcia prosecutors are also investigating the regional leader of Vox, another anti-immigrant political party, for alleged hate speech that may have contributed to inciting the violence. José Ángel Antelo, a former professional basketball player turned politician, was elected to the Murcia regional assembly in 2023 on a platform critical of Spain’s immigration policies.