Spain and Morocco call for calm and condemn racism amid tensions in Torre Pacheco
After Spanish security forces quelled riots and clashes between residents in the town of Torre Pacheco in Murcia following the assault of a 68-year-old man allegedly by three Moroccan immigrants, Spanish and Moroccan authorities have now issued a joint call for calm and condemned the racism seen in various sectors of society in the wake of the incident.
In response to the racist demonstrations against the Maghreb community, and especially Moroccans, seen in Torre Pacheco, the Spanish President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, the Consulate General of Morocco in Murcia and the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad have issued messages calling for calm and tranquillity and condemning all acts of racism.
The various authorities expressed their concern about the escalation of tension and the displays of hatred and racism, and called for peace, social coexistence and respect on the part of all communities.
Pedro Sánchez was clear and emphatic on social media: 'Racism is incompatible with democracy. What is happening in Torre Pacheco is a challenge for all of us. We must express our opinions, act firmly and defend the values that unite us. Spain is a country of rights, not hatred.'
Meanwhile, the Consulate General of Morocco in Murcia issued an official statement regretting 'the unfortunate events marked by violence, incitement and hatred against members of the Moroccan community residing in the municipality of Torre Pacheco'.
The Consulate expressed ‘its total condemnation of these attacks and its complete solidarity with the community, maintaining continuous communication with the competent Spanish authorities to ensure the necessary protection for this group, which is experiencing moments of real fear and terror’.
The Consulate also highlighted ‘the considerable efforts made by all security institutions and other local officials to contain the crisis and restore calm’ and encouraged ‘members of the Moroccan community to show restraint and follow the instructions of the local authorities, inviting them to be cautious in these difficult times’.
El racismo es incompatible con la democracia.
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) July 14, 2025
Lo que estamos viendo en Torre-Pacheco nos interpela a todos. Debemos alzar la voz, actuar con firmeza y defender los valores que nos unen.
España es un país de derechos, no de odio.
The Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad also condemned on social media ‘all forms of violence, racism and stigmatisation’, stressing that ‘mutual respect, human dignity and social cohesion must remain the fundamental principles that unite our communities’.
The situation is now under control thanks to the actions of the Spanish security forces, as confirmed by the mayor of Torre Pacheco, Pedro Ángel Roca, who also called for the fight against all types of crime and the elimination of all signs of extreme right-wing radicalism, referring to the radical groups that travelled to the Murcian town to take advantage of the social tension and attack the Maghreb community, and especially the Moroccan community in the area.
It should be noted that Torre Pacheco has a population of around 40,000, and almost a third of the population are immigrants who have come from abroad to work, mainly in the agricultural sector. and the incident involving the assault on an elderly person in the vicinity of the local cemetery sparked tension against the immigrant community, which was exploited by far-right groups to foment hatred and racism.
The Spanish Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, accused the Vox party of being behind the violence, stating that ‘organised groups’ were behind the riots and blaming the far-right party for its rhetoric on ‘criminal immigration’, which he said was a call for violence and racism, as expressed by other entities through the media and social networks.
The clashes began after a 68-year-old man was attacked near the Torre Pacheco cemetery, allegedly by a Moroccan immigrant who did not live in the Murcian town, accompanied by two other Moroccan immigrants who allegedly recorded the scene.
This situation sparked neighbourhood protests and even the organisation of neighbourhood patrols, but the situation escalated with the intervention of far-right groups who took advantage of the situation to generate violence and hate speech against immigrants through racist slogans.
