Spanish-Moroccan Dialogue on the Torre Pacheco Incident: Shared Memory from Current Wounds to Mediterranean Reconciliation Perspectives
By: Abdelaziz Koukass
We address here the incident involving Spanish citizen “Domingo” in the town of Torre Pacheco, the extreme reactions elicited both here and there, and the mutual responses surrounding it between actors from both sides of the Mediterranean. We start with the statements issued, particularly the one from the “Shared Memory Center for Democracy and Peace,” along with the exchanged correspondence between a Moroccan human rights activist and a conservative Spanish journalist, proposing a reflection on the concept of “shared memory” and highlighting how differences can transform into a foundational moment aimed not at destroying bridges but at rebuilding them.
At a time when cultural and political tensions between the northern and southern Mediterranean are escalating, memory is recalled not as a tool for understanding but as a justificatory weapon. The Torre Pacheco incident in which an elderly Spanish man was assaulted by three young men of Moroccan descent opened up discussions that transcend the boundaries of a criminal act, reaching into representations of migration, coexistence, and the meaning of “shared living” in a context marked by fragility and transformation.
The Incident Between Event and Meaning
The importance of the incident lies not just in its factual details, but in the conflicting discourses it has provoked. On one hand, extreme right voices called for stringent condemnation, linking the assault to the attackers’ original identity. On the other hand, Moroccan human rights and intellectual voices attempted to deconstruct the broader contexts of the incident and to read its symbolic and political repercussions without falling into justification.
The “statement” issued by the Shared Memory Center, in its human rights version, did not overlook the human aspect, expanding the perspective to include the structural dynamics of violence and racism. Conversely, the conservative Spanish journalist called for an explicit direct condemnation, arguing that any attempt at cultural framing undermines the moral stance.
Memory as a Space for Conflict or a Possibility for Reconciliation?
In the Moroccan-Spanish context, shared memory has transformed into a mined field: from the Rif wars to colonization, from Al-Andalus to migration, official and popular narratives contest the interpretation of the past.
Yet, the challenge lies not in what occurred but in how we reshape it today. Do we invoke memory to condemn the other and strengthen ourselves against their pain, or do we extract building blocks for renewed dialogue? Herein lies the significance of activating the “Ibn Rushd” committee not merely as a symbolic body, but as a mechanism for deconstruction, reconciliation, and dialogue.
Symbolic Violence and Philosophical Response:
Right-wing actors on the northern shore perceive the “threat” as stemming from the migrant, with “crime” being embedded in their cultural genes. In contrast, the Moroccan center’s statement offers an inverted view: violence is not only physical but also symbolic and institutional, fueled by incitement, degradation, and a poisoned public sphere.
The profound response lies in championing mercy as a counter to collective punishment, invoking the values of “mutual recognition” (as theorized by Axel Honneth) instead of reducing the other to stereotypes.
Difference as an Opportunity for Coalition
What many fail to recognize is that the debate between the Moroccan human rights center led by Abdel Salam Bouhtib and the Spanish journalist was less a conflict than a rare exercise in dialogue, albeit with a tone of reproach. The Moroccan Shared Memory Center did not reject condemnation but called for a broader context for it, while the Spanish journalist expressed a legitimate ethical concern yet ignored the structure of incitement that governs the public space. Here emerges the real question: how do we tolerate differing interpretations of reality without ceasing to build a more expansive commonality?
From Incident to Possibility
Torre Pacheco is not merely an isolated event but a test for the Mediterranean conscience. Between those who view the crime as grounds for segregation and those who see it as a gateway for discussion, shared memory remains a battleground where two logics contend: the logic of exclusion and the logic of foundation.
The Moroccan-Spanish societal relationship requires more than a circumstantial apology or a solidarity statement. It demands a “will to coexist,” one that does not subject the other to judgment for an individual’s wrongdoing but perceives them as a partner in pain and hope. Ultimately, this is the role of reconciled memory: to narrate the pain, to reclaim what remains of our humanity, and to view the actions of the Spanish journalist in his response as the beginning of this dialogue.
