2000 El Ejido riots

The 2000 El Ejido riots were a series of racially motivated disturbances that took place from 5 to 7 February 2000 in El Ejido, a town in the province of Almería, Spain. Triggered by the murders of three Spanish citizens by two Moroccan nationals in separate incidents, the unrest quickly escalated into widespread violence targeting the town's large Moroccan migrant community. Over the course of three days, groups of residents attacked migrant workers, destroyed homes and businesses, and vandalised community infrastructure. The events were widely described at the time as among the most severe instances of racially motivated violence in modern Spanish history. The riots occurred in a context of rapid demographic change, driven by the expansion of intensive agriculture in the region and the growing presence of foreign labourers, particularly from North Africa.