Tag: spain

Spain’s Socialist Government Is Sacrificing Its Own Police to Ruthless Drug Cartels — Another Officer Dead as Spain Becomes Europe’s Weak Link for Drugs and Illegal Migration

Picture Mexican and Colombian cartels using high-speed go-fast boats to flood cocaine and hashish into the U.S. via Florida or California, while U.S. agents chase them in outdated vessels — all while millions of illegal immigrants pour across the border using the same smuggling networks.

Replace the U.S. southern border with Spain’s southern coast, and that’s the crisis unfolding in Europe right now under Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government.

Americans familiar with border security debates at home will recognize the pattern: when politicians deprioritize enforcement, criminals and cartels exploit the vacuum.

Today, two Guardia Civil officers were killed in the line of duty off Huelva in Andalusia, southern Spain. Three more agents were injured — one seriously — when their patrol boat collided with a narcolancha (a powerful drug-smuggling speedboat) during a dangerous pursuit.

This tragedy is the direct, predictable outcome of chronic underfunding, outdated equipment, and a policy of weakness that has turned Spain into one of Europe’s softest entry points for both narcotics and illegal immigration.

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 ‘Raped’ schoolchildren tell of ‘monsters in the bathroom’ and draw chilling pictures of snarling blood-covered staff

A NURSERY school where children reportedly spoke of a “monster in the bathroom” is facing accusations of violence and sexual abuse.

The Munay Waldorf School in Zaragoza, Spain has now closed amid a sweeping police investigation.

Two members of staff have been accused of raping children as young as three.

At least 10 families have filed complaints, with around a dozen children allegedly describing sexual assaults, physical violence and intimidation inside the school – which catered for just 20 to 30 children aged 0 to 6.

The school follows the controversial holistic education system created by Rudolf Steiner, the Austrian philosopher.

One mum told Spanish newspaper El País her daughter began showing severe anxiety during her time at the school between 2022 and 2023.

The devastated mum said her daughter was becoming withdrawn, frightened and refusing to use the toilet.

“She told me there was a monster in the bathroom and she never went because it scared her so much. When we went to pick her up, the first thing she did when she came out was wet herself,” she said.

The mum later compiled a blue file folder filled with transcripts of conversations, audio recordings, videos and a sketchbook she says documents her daughter’s recollections.

The paper trail included chilling drawings of a man with blood around his mouth and exposed genitals.

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EU Crime Report: Spanish Rape Reports Surge 322% Over Last Decade, EU Sees 150% Increase

New data released by Eurostat on Wednesday reveals a staggering rise in reported sexual crimes across the European Union, with Spain showing an increase far beyond the continental average.

Spain has seen one of the most significant shifts in reporting, according to Spain’s La Razon outlet. In 2024, the country registered “5,222 violations” compared to only “1,239 in 2014.” This represents a “322 percent increase,” a figure that sits “well above the 150 percent average in the EU.”

What Eurostat does not provide is data on who is committing these crimes. However, other sources have explored this issue.

As Remix News reported last year, a CEU-CEFAS Demographic Observatory report titled “Demography of Crime in Spain” showed that foreigners, who make up 31 percent of Spain’s prison population and commit per capita 500 percent more rapes and 414 percent more murders than Spanish citizens.

The highest rates are seen among Arabs and Latinos, with many of them hailing from countries in South America known for their extremely high crime rates.

While the murder numbers are stable in Spain at 300 per year, there has been explosive growth in attempted murders. Over the course of just four years, between 2019 and 2023, attempted murder cases nearly doubled, going from 836 to 1,507.

In just five years, penetrative rape cases also soared 143 percent, going from 2,143 in 2019 to 5,206 in 2024.

As Remix News has reported on in the past, in many Spanish states, the crime statistics show massive overrepresentation of foreigners in serious crimes like sexual assault, including in the Basque region.

In cases of robbery with violence, foreigners are 440 percent more likely to commit such a crime. Many such cases have made headlines in the Spanish media.

The study heads indicated that Spain’s aging population should have led to a decrease in crime rates, but the influx of migrants, amounting to 3.8 million per decade, has led to an “imported crime” problem.

The report confirmed a consistent pattern that violent crime is predominantly committed by young men. Specifically concerning nationality, the study indicates that foreigners have much higher crime rates than Spaniards, particularly for the most serious offenses against persons, such as homicide, rape, and robbery. This overrepresentation is noted to be especially pronounced among individuals of African and Latin American origin.

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Pedro Sánchez’s amnesty for illegal immigrants in Spain begins by using post offices to speed it up without controls

The latest decision by the Spanish government has unleashed absolute chaos, and across Europe, leading figures are expressing concern about its potential consequences.

One of the largest regularisation programmes in decades has also angered millions of Spaniards.

Through Royal Decree 316/2026, approved on April 14, 2026, authorities are offering a pathway to legal residence and work rights for more than 500,000 illegal immigrants already living in the country in an irregular administrative situation.

To manage the flood of applications — with more than 130,000 submitted in the first week alone and tens of thousands more in person — the government has turned to an unlikely partner: post offices. Around 371–373 branches are now accepting applications by appointment, alongside immigration offices and about 60 Social Security offices.

Post office staff receive and forward the documentation; they do not decide on the cases. The goal? To decentralise the process and relieve pressure on already overwhelmed offices.

However, critics see something far more troubling: a high-volume system that risks granting legal status almost automatically, with insufficient controls.

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Spanish Catholic Church plagued by pedophiles – media

More than 3,000 people have reportedly suffered sexual abuse as minors within the Spanish Catholic Church, according to a eight-year investigation by the El Pais newspaper which published its latest findings on Monday.

The outlet began collecting data on sex crimes within the church in 2018, when only 34 cases were officially known. Since then, through public testimonies, judicial records, and church admissions, the number of victims of pedophilia has risen to 3,084 with the earliest incidents dating back to the 1940’s.

The list of accused has reached 1,613, representing 1.46% of the 110,000 priests and laypeople who have served in Spain in the past 80 years.

El Pais’ latest report, the sixth in five years, has added 58 new testimonies from Spain accusing 50 clerics and laypeople, all men except two nuns, and a separate section covering 21 testimonies from eight Latin American countries with 24 individuals accused.

The outlet said that it has shared all its findings with the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), the Vatican, and Spain’s human rights commissioner. However, the newspaper noted that over the past five years, the Church has not responded substantively to the allegations with the CEE prioritizing “opacity and denial” while the Vatican has delegated responsibility to the Spanish bishops.

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Spain’s Sánchez urges EU to break Association Agreement with Israel within 48 hours

During a Socialist Workers’ Party rally in Gibraleón under the slogan ‘Defend Public Services’, on Sunday, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Socialist candidate María Jesús Montero confirmed they would ask the EU to end its Association Agreement with Israel.

Pedro Sánchez used an election rally in the province of Huelva to deliver one of the most far-reaching foreign policy messages of recent weeks. “This Tuesday, the Government of Spain will take to Europe the proposal that the EU sever its association with Israel,” he told supporters.

The prime minister added that Spain is “a friend of Israel”, but that it does not share the actions of its government, and urged other European countries to join the initiative.

The announcement did not come out of the blue. Days earlier, Sánchez had called on the EU to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel after what he described as the heaviest Israeli attack on Lebanon since the start of the offensive. On Sunday, that appeal hardened into a firm pledge, with a date set for action.

Spain’s stance on this conflict has been hardening for months. Sánchez and Ireland had already called for an urgent review of the EU–Israel agreement, arguing that respect for human rights and democratic principles is an “essential element” of the relationship.

At the European Pulse Forum 2026, held in Barcelona, Sánchez argued that Israel is “trampling on and violating” several articles of the Association Agreement, and said that Spain is “ready to take that step together with many other European countries”. Netanyahu responded by accusing Spain of waging a “diplomatic war” against Israel, to which Sánchez replied by taking the debate to the European institutions.

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Spain Grants Legal Status to 500,000 Illegal Immigrants Under Royal Decree

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said his government will approve a royal decree to regularize nearly half a million illegal immigrants.

Sánchez, a socialist, said in an April 14 post on X that the Council of Ministers will approve a royal decree launching the extraordinary regularization of people living in the country illegally, a process expected to affect nearly half a million individuals.

A royal decree is a legal measure approved by the government and formally enacted by the king of Spain, allowing policies to take effect without a full parliamentary process, according to Spain’s 1978 constitution (Articles 62 and 97).

He described the move as an act of “normalization” and “justice.”

“Today, once again, I feel proud to be Spanish,” Sánchez said.

Sánchez made the announcement while on an official visit to China, where he said in a April 14 post on X that “Spain is betting on an EU-China relationship based on trust, dialogue, and stability.”

The proposal was first presented on Jan. 27 to allow about 500,000 illegal immigrants already living and working in Spain to get legal status through an accelerated process.

The campaign for the measure began with a 2024 petition that received more than 600,000 signatures, backed by a number of nongovernmental organizations and Spain’s Catholic Episcopal Conference.

Details were shared by La Moncloa, the official seat of the Spanish government, who said in an April 14 social media post that the regularization would apply to individuals who have been in Spain since before Jan. 1, 2026, have remained for at least five uninterrupted months, and do not have a criminal record or “pose a threat to public order, security, or health.”

Irene Montero, a former equality minister and current MEP from the hard-left Podemos party, said in an April 14 post on X that the process could ultimately extend further, stating that up to 800,000 illegal immigrants should be granted papers.

She said that the process will “treat people as people and not as slaves,” and that efforts should continue “so that regularization reaches everyone.”

The government’s plan has drawn criticism from the opposition.

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SPAIN: Prolific Serial Killer Transitions While Serving 127-Year Sentence, Is Now Being Held In A Women’s Unit

One of Spain’s most prolific serial killers is now being held in a women’s correctional unit after beginning to identify as transgender while behind bars. Joan Vila Dilmé, also known as the Olot nursing home killer, is reportedly now going by the name “Aida.”

Vila, 60, was sentenced to 127 years in prison in 2013 for the murders of 11 elderly residents at the care home he worked at.

Dubbed “the angel of death” by Spanish media, Vila was arrested following the death of an 85-year-old resident at the La Caritat nursing home in the northeastern Catalan town of Olot. Medical staff determined that the woman had died after ingesting a corrosive substance, prompting authorities to classify the case as suspicious.

Police soon identified Vila, a caregiver at the facility, as a person of interest after establishing that he had been present at the time of the woman’s death. During questioning, he confessed to the killing, admitting that he had forced her to drink a corrosive substance.

Although Vila initially confessed to just three murders, a subsequent investigation revealed a far more extensive pattern of abuse. Authorities ultimately linked him to at least 11 deaths at the nursing home—nine women and two men. The victims, all of whom were between 80 and 90 years of age, were identified as:

  • Rosa Barbures Pujol
  • Francisca Matilde Fiol
  • Teresa Puig Boixadera
  • Isidra García Aseijas
  • Carme Vilanova Viñolas
  • Lluís Salleras Claret
  • Joan Canal Julià
  • Montserrat Canalias Muntada
  • Sabina Masllorens i Sala
  • Montserrat Guillamet Bartolich
  • Paquita Gironès i Quintana

The murders were carried out between August of 2009 and October of 2010.

Investigators determined that Vila had evaded detection for an extended period by initially employing methods that were difficult to trace. In early cases, he administered cocktails of barbiturates and other drugs mixed with water, or delivered high doses of insulin intravenously to diabetic patients. These methods often led to the deaths being mistakenly classified as natural or medical.

By September of 2010, colleagues began noticing a marked shift in Vila behavior. He reportedly became increasingly aggressive and expressed frustration with caring for elderly residents, stating that he wanted to leave his job. Following one of his later killings, he allegedly compelled a co-worker to remain in the victim’s room and watch over the body.

The final series of murders occurred within a five-day span between October 12 and 17, 2010. During this period, Vila killed Sabina Masllorens i Sala, Montserrat Guillamet Bartolich and Paquita Gironès i Quintana. In these cases, he abandoned earlier methods and instead forced victims to ingest bleach or injected corrosive substances directly into their mouths.

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Israel Expels Spain from Gaza Coordination Center Following Criticism of Lebanon Operations

Israel ordered Spain to cease participation in a joint civil-military coordination center in Kiryat Gat, a facility overseeing the Gaza ceasefire and humanitarian aid delivery, on Friday, April 10, 2026. The expulsion was immediate, according to officials.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced the decision, citing Spain’s “anti-Israel obsession” and policies during the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran [1]. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a video announcement that the action followed Spain defaming “our heroes, the soldiers of the IDF” [2].

The Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) is a multi-national hub established to manage the ceasefire and aid distribution in Gaza following the conflict triggered by the Hamas-led invasion. Spain’s removal removes a significant European partner from this sensitive operational forum.

Statement and Decision Details

The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement directly linking the expulsion to Spain’s criticism of Israeli military actions in Lebanon. The ministry cited Spain’s “hostile stance” as the reason for the expulsion [3].

A spokesperson for the ministry said the decision was made to “ensure the center’s operational integrity” [2]. The statement explicitly noted that Spain’s policies during the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran were a contributing factor [1].

The expulsion marks an escalation in a diplomatic rift that has been worsening since Spain began opposing Israeli policies more forcefully, including its stance on the war involving Iran [4]. This action follows Spain’s permanent withdrawal of its ambassador from Israel in March 2026 [5].

Background on the Coordination Center

The joint Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat was described as a forum for allied nations to share intelligence and logistical planning related to the Gaza ceasefire and humanitarian operations [1]. It was established to coordinate civilian aid and military de-escalation efforts.

According to prior reports, Spain’s role within the center involved providing logistical support and monitoring aid distribution [2]. The center’s function includes overseeing the delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza, a process that has been fraught with challenges due to the ongoing regional conflicts [6].

The center operates under a U.S.-led framework and is part of broader efforts to manage the aftermath of the Gaza war and subsequent regional conflicts involving Iran and Lebanon [3]. Its composition includes multiple allied nations, though the full list of participants was not detailed in the available sources.

Spanish Government’s Criticism

Spanish officials had publicly condemned Israeli military actions in southern Lebanon in the days preceding the expulsion. A statement from Spain’s foreign ministry described recent Israeli operations as “massacres” targeting civilians [7].

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez accused Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu of aiming to replicate the scale of devastation seen in Gaza in Lebanon. Sanchez stated Netanyahu “seeks to inflict the same level of damage and destruction” on Lebanon as carried out in Gaza [8].

The criticism was reported by multiple media outlets and aligns with Spain’s broader foreign policy stance, which has included condemning the EU’s “double standards” in imposing sanctions on Russia while failing to hold Israel accountable for its military actions [9]. Spain had also previously declined to join President Trump’s “Board of Peace” for Gaza, citing a breach of international law [10].

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Spanish Prime Minister’s Wife Begoña Gómez Formally Charged with Influence Peddling and Bribery

Begoña Gómez, the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has been formally charged with influence peddling and bribery.

Judge Juan Carlos Peinado of Madrid’s Investigative Court issued the indictment today. Gómez will now stand trial, marking the latest chapter in a high-profile investigation that began in April 2024 and has repeatedly rocked Spanish politics.

The case centers on allegations that Gómez leveraged her position as the wife of Spain’s leader to benefit private companies and her own professional activities while co-directing master’s programs at Madrid’s Complutense University.

Investigators have examined whether she used her influence to help secure public contracts and funding — most notably through recommendation letters for businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés, whose firm won millions in government tenders.

The probe has since expanded to include claims of embezzlement of public funds involving a government-paid aide who allegedly assisted with her university work, along with misappropriation and professional intrusion.

The investigation was initially triggered by complaints from anti-corruption groups, including Manos Limpias (“Clean Hands”), and has been closely watched across Spain.

Sánchez’s leftist coalition government has repeatedly dismissed the case as a politically motivated “witch hunt” by right-wing forces. Gómez has denied any wrongdoing in prior court appearances and invoked her right not to testify in some instances.

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