A twenty eight year old man has been sent to preventive detention in Mataró, Barcelona, after being accused of inciting violence through social media. The individual, leader of the extremist group Deport Them Now UE, allegedly called for a ‘cull’ against the Maghreb community in the town of Torre Pacheco, Murcia. The judge has ruled that he must remain in custody without bail after charges of hate speech and illegal possession of weapons were put forward.

The Guardia Civil arrested him on Tuesday amid concerns over the alarming messages shared on platforms like Telegram, where the group has been active since early this year. The judge classified his posts as highly detrimental to social harmony, reflecting a growing trend of radicalisation amongst certain factions in Spain.

His attorney reported that the accused expressed remorse during the court session. He stated that his comments resulted from a moment of anger upon learning of an assault on an elderly man, which he acknowledged was an inappropriate reaction. The defence argues against his imprisonment, suggesting that he should instead work towards rectifying his social media messages.

Deport Them Now UE is a recently formed group, gaining notoriety after a meeting in Italy earlier this year. Despite only having a small membership in Spain, the group’s rhetoric has raised significant concerns among authorities about the potential impact of their hateful ideology on migration discussions across Europe.