Simon Hunter
LEADERS of Spain’s far-right Vox party have used the murder of a church assistant on Wednesday night in the southern city of Algeciras to promote their anti-immigration messages.
‘My condolences to the family and friends of the victim,’ wrote Vox leader Santiago Abascal on Twitter in the wake of the incident, which saw four other people injured by the machete-wielding attacker. ‘Some open the doors for them, others finance them and the people suffer. We cannot tolerate the advance of Islamism on our territory.’
Meanwhile, Vox deputy in Congress, Rocío de Meer, wrote: ‘Every journalist, every progressive pundit and every politician who pointed at us for warning that this was going to happen is an accomplice for every drop of blood that is shed.’
De Meer also published a photo of the machete allegedly used by the alleged attacker to carry out his crimes.
‘All of our support at these moments of concern and terror for the people of Algeciras,’ wrote Javier Cortés, the president of Vox in Seville and the deputy spokesperson for the party in the Andalusia. ‘They are victims of the suicidal immigration and security policies of the ineffective biparty system.’
The attack took place on Wednesday evening after a 25-year-old Moroccan national, named in the Spanish press as Yasine Kanjaa, entered the San Isidro church in the centre of the city and injured priest Antonio Rodríguez.
The suspect then moved on to the nearby La Palma church, where he chased verger Diego Valencia outside and killed him with the machete, according to witness statements.
Read more:
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- Twitter hate page predicted horror machete attack in Algeciras with mystery tweet
- One dead, several injured in suspected jihadist attack against two catholic churches in Spain’s Algeciras
