Surge in Anti-Moroccan Hate Crimes Alarms Rights Groups in Spain

In a statement, the Association of Moroccan Migrant Workers (ATIM) said it was concerned about the resurgence of hostile acts towards the Moroccan community, highlighting a number of incidents recorded in recent weeks.

The ATIM comments on the "murder of the young Moroccan Youness by a former Spanish soldier just ’because a criminal did not want the moros’ in the establishment where the deceased was sitting with friends," and cites the "knife attack against a Moroccan woman as she was leaving a supermarket, the murder of another Moroccan shot after a car accident by an off-duty Guardia Civil agent."

All these acts, the organization summarizes, reflect the degree of hatred that has been openly expressed in recent years, noting that this hatred is fueled by the racist, extremist, Islamophobic and discriminatory discourse of the far right. "In fact, the rejection of the Moroccan community has reached an intolerable level," ATIM insists in its statement.

The CEPAIM Foundation, which is actively working for the rights of migrants and their integration, is calling for cohesion in order to build a common front against all forms of racial or ethnic discrimination. "The sad reality is that [Youness is dead], because he is of Moroccan origin," it lamented.

For its part, the far-left formation Podemos has strongly denounced Vox and its hate speech, which has led to deadly acts against the migrant population.