Mataró: leader of network promoting “migrant hunts” arrested

The Civil Guard has arrested C.L.F. in Mataró, the alleged leader of the group “Deport Them Now UE”, a far-right digital network that allegedly coordinated attacks against young Maghrebi men in Torre Pacheco, Murcia. The operation, authorized by the San Javier Court, comes after several days of tension in the Murcian town, where neighborhood patrols encouraged through Telegram led to assaults and racist threats.

The group, which had thousands of followers, shared audio recordings and maps with so-called “surveillance routes,” as well as messages inciting direct action. They used seemingly informal language —memes, emojis, abbreviations— but behind that aesthetic lay a highly organized hate machine. Investigators seized computers and mobile phones revealing internal structures, shifts, and even manuals for what to do in case of arrest.

The incidents in Torre Pacheco were not spontaneous. According to the Prosecutor’s Office for Hate Crimes, the attacks were planned as early as March, when the group began to grow following viral campaigns on platforms like Telegram and TikTok. Their goal was clear: to portray young immigrants as public enemies in neighborhoods already suffering from poverty and institutional neglect.

The political reaction was swift. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska accused Vox of being “the ideological fuel” behind the attacks. The far-right party, however, avoided issuing any direct condemnation, while the People’s Party (PP) maintained a low profile, denouncing the violence but without naming those responsible.

Journalists such as Miquel Ramos and Raquel Ejerique have warned about the danger of these networks, which turn hate into viral entertainment. “The problem isn’t only what happens on the street, but what’s being cooked up in closed chat groups, where racism disguises itself as humor or cheap patriotism,” they note.

Meanwhile, the Moroccan community in Torre Pacheco is calling for protection and dialogue. Religious and community leaders urge calm but warn of growing fear. “Today it was our children; tomorrow it could be others,” they say.

The arrest of C.L.F. is a significant blow, but it’s not enough. The phenomenon is not an isolated case but the tip of an iceberg where precarity, far-right discourse, and disinformation intersect. Stopping this trend requires more than police action — it demands politics, education, and justice. Because when hate becomes organized, it’s not enough to put out the fire: you have to remove the fuel.