Police clash with protestors after alleged migrant gang bashed elderly man in Spain

Police clashed with riot police in the southeastern Spanish town of Torre‑Pacheco late on Sunday (July 13) after tensions flared following an assault on an elderly man earlier in the week. The violence followed several days of smaller demonstrations that escalated into unrest, with far‑right groups throwing glass bottles and other objects at officers. Riot police responded with rubber bullets to disperse the crowds. Authorities said the initial assault on Wednesday involved unknown assailants attacking an elderly resident in the street; he sustained injuries but is recovering at home. No arrests have been made and the motive behind the attack remains unclear. Officials condemned the unrest, denouncing hate speech and incitement to violence amid rising anti‑migrant sentiment in the area. A local resident named Abdelali pleaded for calm, saying, “We want peace! That’s what we want. We don’t want anything else… All the neighbours are complaining. I ride my scooter and I’m afraid of being hit by a bottle.” Torre‑Pacheco, a farming town with a large migrant workforce, has seen sporadic tensions before, but the latest incident has renewed fears of deepening social division.