SPAIN: Deport Them Now UE & more – 17th July 2025

Buenos días from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Spain Update from the 17th of July twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Spain.

Kicking off this episode, on Monday, the 14th of July, Spanish police arrested ten people from the extremist group, Deport Them Now UE, after three nights of violent clashes between extremists and North African migrants in Torre Pacheco, Southeastern Spain.

The unrest followed an alleged assault on a sixty-year-old man by two foreign nationals. Riot police used rubber bullets as masked youths hurled bottles. Mayor Pedro Ángel Roca urged migrants to stay indoors. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska blamed extremist rhetoric, singling out the Vox party, which denied involvement.

That afternoon, police in Mataró in the northeast arrested the leader of the extremist group for inciting hatred and organizing anti-migrant attacks via Telegram.

On a related note, early in the morning on Saturday, the 12th, a fire severely damaged the new mosque in Piera, Catalunya and news outlets highlight that it happened shortly after the racist attacks in Torre Pacheco, which raises fears that xenophobia is growing, fueled by hate speech on social media.

Police quickly sealed off the site while investigators searched for answers, but the cause of the fire is still unclear. Carme González, the mayor of Piera, met with the local Muslim community to condemn any hate and show solidarity.

In fossil fuel-induced weather events, on Saturday the 12th, a huge downpour of rain triggered flash floods across Catalunya, which have left two people missing and caused significant disruption.

Witnesses in Cubelles, South of Barcelona, reported seeing the pair fall into the swollen Foix River. Emergency services, including drones, helicopters, and underwater units, are continuing the search.

Flooding disrupted rail services and overwhelmed rivers, even causing damage to hospitals in large parts of the Barcelona metropolitan area.

Just days after the country endured severe flash flooding, early on Monday the 14th, a 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck southern Spain.

According to Spain’s National Geographic Institute, the earthquake’s epicenter was just off the coast near Cabo de Gata on the Almeria coast, and shook multiple regions in the area, including the Costa del Sol and Alicante. Eighteen aftershocks followed, with the strongest measuring 3.4.

No injuries were reported, though workers described the quake as terrifying, and in Almeria, part of the airport roof collapsed.

Next up, on Sunday, the 13th, according to a report by newsoulet, Heraldo de Aragón, Marta Jiménez, the Spanish television presenter known as the adrenaline woman from the show El Hormiguero, died while base jumping in the Chistau Valley, Huesca, Northeastern Spain.

Jiménez was celebrated for embracing extreme sports and high-risk challenges. Authorities are actively investigating the jump and any contributing factors.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, the 12th, Spanish police arrested Dmitry Artyakov, son of a senior Russian defense official, for allegedly laundering millions of euros through luxury real estate in Girona, Northeastern Spain.

Authorities detained Artyakov on Saturday at his home as part of a money laundering probe led by Spain’s Anti-Corruption Prosecutor and coordinated by the Audiencia Nacional. Investigators allege that he acquired eight properties, including two luxury villas, using funds tied to a Laundromat front.

Artyakov, who is under U.S. sanctions, is accused of using illegal transactions to conceal illicit wealth. The court has not yet set a trial date.

Moving southwest from Girona and toward the center of Spain, on Tuesday, the 15th, Yolanda Díaz, the Vice President and the Minister of Labor, announced in a statement that the debate on reducing working hours will be postponed in Congress until after summer. The delay comes after Junts per Catalunya, a Catalan pro-independence party, refused to lift its veto, threatening to kill the bill entirely.

Talks with Junts have stalled for months. Díaz’s team blames instability within the government, while Junts says it has requested more time to negotiate. For her part, Díaz says she still hopes for a deal but has admitted that the chances of passing the reform in twenty twenty-five are fading.

From reforms to trade deals, on Monday the 14th, Spain joined Germany, France, and other EU countries in urging member states to unite and respond firmly to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats, which he made midway through this year. French President Emmanuel Macron led the call to activate the EU’s Anti-Coercion Instrument in response, and Spain is backing it fully.

While some are in favor, countries like Poland and the Netherlands have said they would prefer to be cautious to avoid escalating trade tensions.

There’s some trouble in the Basque Country. The arrival of the taxi app Cabify in Bilbao has triggered strong backlash from the local taxi sector, which plans to launch a series of protests in the coming weeks.

Taxi drivers in the city had previously demonstrated against Uber's growth since twenty nineteen, and are now accusing the authorities of failing to enforce existing regulations with the introduction of Cabify.

Mikel González from the freelancers UPTA Euskadi union says that Cabify and Uber harm local economies and cost jobs. He has also criticized local and national police for not doing enough inspections.

In response, Alberto González, Cabify’s general manager, argued there’s strong local demand for their services and rejected the union’s allegations.

Still on transportation, according to Spain’s Association for Electric Mobility, or AEDIVE, Spain has rapidly expanded its electric vehicle charging infrastructure since last year, with nearly 50,000 public charging points currently operational, a nearly 5% increase from the end of twenty twenty-four.

On Tuesday the 15th, Arturo Pérez de Lucía, AEDIVE’s CEO, projected that the total number of chargepoints could reach 55,000 by the end of twenty twenty-five.

Spain’s focus on high-quality, fast-charging infrastructure suggests strong momentum toward a strong electric vehicle future.

With summer temperatures reaching all-time highs, media outlet El País recently did a report on why towns are struggling to find shade. La Rambla and Montoro in Córdoba, along with El Granado in Huelva, all in Southern Spain, have recorded the country’s highest-ever temperatures, routinely reaching over 44 °C (111°F) and even peaking at over 47°C (116°F).

The cause? Their streets remain virtually treeless. Narrow roads prioritize cars and parking rather than greenery, exposing façades and pedestrians to unrelenting sun. Residents complain of relentless heat from noon, worsened by climate change.

Tragically, two people have already died from heatstroke in Córdoba this summer.

If you want to take your pet on holiday, the Peninsula might be your best bet! A recent survey by travel agency eDreams has revealed that Spain and Portugal lead Europe in pet-friendly travel, surpassing traditional leaders like Germany.

The agency notes that travelers increasingly view pets as family, prompting tourism and travel companies to adapt.

Cities like Barcelona now feature dog-welcoming infrastructure, from shaded café patios to dedicated beach areas. The agency says this transformation goes beyond convenience; it taps into the emotional bond between people and their pets.

And finally…in the movie world, a new Hunger Games movie, based on author Suzanne Collins’ latest novel, Reaping Dawn, is going to be filmed in the Somiedo Natural Park in Asturias, in Northern Spain. Preparations are underway, but filming hasn’t started yet.

The film will explore the dark history of the 50th Hunger Games and continue the movie series, which began back in twenty twelve. According to news outlet Spanish News Today, filmmakers chose Somiedo for its dramatic, rugged landscapes, misty forests, alpine meadows, and glacial lakes, which perfectly mirror the varied beauty of the arena described in the book.

This marks a major moment for Spanish cinema tourism, as the region welcomes its Hollywood debut.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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¡Hasta la próxima!