Ventura praises Spain's "immigrant hunt"

Chega's president, André Ventura, said this Sunday he was proud of what happened in Murcia, southern Spain, where in July there were violent incidents in the town of Torre Pacheco following an Islamophobic call on the Internet for an "immigrant hunt".

André Ventura, who was speaking at an event in Madrid organized by the far-right party Vox, once again condemned the participation of members of the flotilla that intends to reach Gaza because of the “big parties” in Ibiza and Menorca, in Spain, something that has already been denied and confirmed as false by fact-checking and video verification platforms and services, such as LUSA VERIFICA.

"We will continue to fight together for what we believe in: a Europe with less immigration. That's why I want to tell you here in Spain, knowing that the European press is here and the Portuguese press too, that what you did in Murcia makes me tremendously proud, tremendously proud as a European. Thank you, thank you, thank you for what you did," she said.

Ventura, who spoke for a few minutes before hundreds of people gathered in a Madrid pavilion, defended a "Europe of values" and also criticized the "flotillas to Gaza."

“We will not sponsor flotillas to Gaza, trips on the flotilla while they throw big parties in Ibiza, in Menorca, in the Spanish islands, we will not do that,” he said.

Deputies from Chega and the Liberal Initiative have reported that activists from the Sumud Global Flotilla stopped in Ibiza or other Balearic Islands to participate in night parties, but the video some shared predates the boats' departure from Barcelona.

In response to questions from journalists at the end of the event in Madrid, André Ventura said that the flotilla is “a farce, a lie and a staging” and that “just today” he saw “more images of parties on these boats” shared by activists who go on board.

"Frankly, I'd like to ask if the important thing is that the party is in Menorca, Ibiza, or Barcelona, ​​or if the important thing is that they're out partying when they should be showing solidarity with the people in Gaza who are suffering, which is their mission," he added.

Regarding Torre Pacheco, he told reporters that in southern Spain, but also in southern Portugal, there is a "huge tolerance for imported crime" and that "sometimes people and communities have to show that they are not afraid of gangs of criminals."

When asked if the criminality he condemns can be resolved with a "hunt for immigrants" and a call for violence, the Chega leader responded: "It can be resolved by showing that we are not afraid and will not be conditioned."

"What happened in Murcia was important for everyone who wants to come to Europe to know. Europe has always been a welcoming place, and in recent decades it has been very welcoming, but there comes a time when we have to say enough is enough and declare that anyone who comes must follow the rules, and if they don't, they will be expelled," he stated.

The disturbances and the call for a "hunt" in Torre Pacheco, where 30% of the population is immigrant or of foreign origin, arose after a 68-year-old man, a resident of the locality, was attacked by young people for no apparent reason.

At this Sunday's event in Madrid, the president of Chega also referred to the ultraconservative American activist Charlie Kirk, who was murdered last week, as did most of the participants at the meeting organized by Vox.

"He died to defend us, he died for us, for our values ​​and for our identity," said Ventura, for whom Charlie Kirk's live death "showed how violent, how murderous those who defend what the left defends can become."

Speaking to journalists, Ventura denied that he was fueling a "civilizational" or "ideological war" that has increased violence in countries like the United States, placing the blame on some of the press, universities, and other institutions that, he said, fuel narratives to which the right is responding.

The "Europa Viva 25" meeting was organized by Vox and was intended to be a meeting of Patriots for Europe, which brings together radical right-wing parties and has the third-largest group in the European Parliament.

André Ventura was, however, one of the few leaders present, with other European leaders, such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, participating with videos released at the event's pavilion.

Videos of Latin American political leaders, such as Argentine President Javier Milei and Venezuelan opposition leader Corina Machado, were also released at the meeting.

André Ventura began his speech by saying that it is necessary to "end socialism" throughout Europe, and "send Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to jail."

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