Andrés Pedreño: "Children of immigrants in Torre Pacheco no longer accept the absolute precariousness of the countryside."

Barcelona"I'm organizing an eight-seater van to go to Torre Pacheco on Saturday, July 19th. Route and stops: Cádiz, Marbella, Málaga, Almería, Cartagena, Torre Pacheco. Those interested can write here. Available spots: 6." Messages like this are circulating on Telegram, and the promoters are far-right groups. The goal: to "avenge" the attack on a 68-year-old man last week, allegedly at the hands of young men of foreign origin. And according to Andrés Pedreño, a sociologist and professor at the University of Murcia, the wave of violence against immigrants in that town has a strong ideological component and is encouraged by Vox.

Who is behind these actions?

— This reaction is organized in nature and amounts to a hunt for immigrants. It is not perpetrated by the town's residents, but rather by an externally organized activity within the municipality of Torre Pacheco, by far-right groups. They follow Vox's logic, transforming any event that might link immigration and crime into a matter of political sovereignty to defend the mass deportation of immigrants.

Which group is being targeted?

— In the Torre Pacheco case, they are the children of Moroccan families living in the San Antonio neighborhood, the majority of whom have Spanish nationality.

What is the origin of all this?

— Since the creation of the European single market (in the 1990s), Torre Pacheco has been the heart of the agro-industrial economy of Campo de Cartagena thanks to the export of fruits and vegetables. The main source of labor has been immigrants who arrived during those years, most of whose children were born here. When Vox calls for their deportation, it is referring to people who, for the most part, hold Spanish nationality.

How has that integration process been?

— It's important to emphasize that Moroccans have a significant presence in the Region of Murcia because they represent the majority of immigrants and support part of the agro-export economy. Despite this contribution, there has always been a lack of recognition. Furthermore, discrimination, segregation, and social disdain reflect poorly on the policies implemented regarding Moroccan immigration in recent years. There has been no recognition, and there has been a lack of policies to promote their integration and combat discrimination.

What role is the Popular Party playing?

— What we're seeing is that representatives of the Popular Party, both at the regional level and the mayor of Torre Pacheco himself, are ignoring this situation, which is part of the same logic of contempt with which immigrant workers and their families have always been treated in this region.

Because?

— At one time, the Torre Pacheco City Council did have some very interesting policies for the care and integration of immigrants. These initiatives have gradually disappeared under the most recent Popular Party governments. Furthermore, the Popular Party has recently been paying more attention to Vox in order to maintain its pacts. There was a certain sensitivity before, but it has now been lost.

How for example?

— In the 1990s, the Social Services Association was founded, bringing together the municipalities of Torre Pacheco (where the headquarters were located), Fuente Álamo, and La Unión. For years, this organization developed integration policies for the immigrant population, including mediators in housing, healthcare, education, and other projects that have been disappearing since its dissolution in 2010. Today, especially after the agreements with Vox, not a trace remains.

Are we then talking about a lack of opportunities for young people of foreign origin?

— Yes. These types of neighborhoods where immigrants arrived (like San Antonio) were once areas of cheap housing, but are now severely degraded. The younger generations no longer want to work in the same jobs as their parents; they refuse to accept the absolute precariousness of the countryside and similar sectors. At the same time, there are no policies to improve their social and employment opportunities, and what we find is this: high unemployment, school dropout rates, segregated schools, and, in some cases, drug trafficking.

And has this led to the escalation of violence in the municipality?

— The presence of Moroccan immigration—the highest in the region—has always been perceived as a problem due to xenophobia against all things Arab. Their overrepresentation is directly related to their labor market (primarily in rural areas) and makes them a significant group. We have warned for years about the need to implement policies to prevent children of immigrants from having trouble finding work and adapting. Since no action has been taken, today's structural problems allow the far-right's rhetoric and delusions of deportation to come into play. They believe that a person with Spanish nationality can be deported.

What's going wrong?

— On the one hand, the mayor isn't acting decisively to end the violence. There are extremist groups calling for a hunt for immigrants on social media. They're people outside the town, organized and encouraged by Vox. They're the instigators. What's become clear is that we're dealing with a party willing to set everything on fire according to its own interests. On the other hand, the deployment of the Civil Guard has been somewhat slow, and it wasn't until yesterday [Sunday] that they established a police belt around San Antonio, which was the center of the violence.

And what about the assault on the sixty-eight-year-old?

— In any case, the origin of the perpetrators does not justify the criminalization and persecution of an entire group. Likewise, we cannot say that all the residents of Torre Pacheco were involved in the riots.