The worst massacre on a land border of the European Union took place on
the border of Nador and Melilla on June 24. At least one person died inSpain due to Moroccan and Spanish police action at the Chinatown borderpost, between Nador (Morocco) and Melilla (Spain) when trying to reachEurope. That day there were hundreds of seriously injured, but nonereceived medical attention. Six months later, 77 families are stillsearching for their loved ones without knowing if they are dead oralive. This is how forceful the investigation led by LightHouse Reportsis, which contradicts the version of Interior Minister and formermagistrate Fernando Grande-Marlaska.That 24J, at least 37 people died, according to new data revealed byAmnesty International, due to the joint action of the MoroccanGendarmerie and the Spanish Civil Guard. The Moroccan authorities do notallow an independent investigation and affirm that "only" 23 people diedtrying to enter Spain. Thanks to this new investigation, we know thatAbdelaaziz Yaakoub, a 27-year-old Sudanese man, died on Spanish soil.His friends called him Anwar. This is confirmed by the revealed images,also by a Moroccan agent and even a friend who survived that day and sawit with his own eyes: "There was a strong gas bombardment thatsuffocated many people, then a soldier hit him on the back of the headand, when couldn't breathe, another soldier jumped on his chest with hisboots. When they realized that he was dead, they collected all therubbish (the remains of clothing) and covered him».That 24J, at least 37 people died, according to new data revealed byAmnesty International, due to the joint action of the MoroccanGendarmerie and the Spanish Civil Guard.The investigation is supported by more than 40 interviews, includingmembers of the Civil Guard, and a meticulous recreation after obtaininghundreds of unpublished images with which it manages to demonstrate howsome 700 people were trapped at the border crossing in Barrio Chino,where the Pressure from Moroccan forces led to a huge deadly stampede atthe gate that separates Nador and Melilla. Most of the victims wereasylum seekers, people fleeing the war in Sudan and entitled tointernational protection. That day there were hundreds of wounded, butneither Spain nor Morocco gave them medical attention. Spain returned470 people to Morocco, where their lives were in danger and knowing thatthey had the right to seek asylum. Among them was at least one minor.The Spanish government's version of what happened has always been thedenial of the facts and the use of bellicose language to try to explainwhat happened that day. It has also incurred several contradictoryaccounts, as denounced by several deputies from the Interior Commissionand who demand an independent investigation to clarify the police actionthat day in Melilla. Both the Prosecutor's Office and the Ombudsman haveprotested several times because the Interior does not provide them withaccess to all the visual material available.The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, again deniedwhat happened in his appearance in the Congress of Deputies. There was"no tragic event", "the events occurred mainly in Moroccan territory",the attempt to reach Spain by migrants was "in an organized manner" andwith violence, which included the use of "offensive objects". These aresome of the explanations that the minister left in parliamentaryheadquarters to defend the "absolutely rigorous, temperate andprofessional" performance of the Civil Guard.The images released by the investigation show how the Moroccan agentsbeat the people trapped at the border post, both on the Spanish andMoroccan sides, moments after the deadly avalanche. Minister Marlaska'spraise of the Moroccan dictatorial regime is part of the growing policecooperation between Spain and Morocco to repress migrants, a strategythat goes further and includes the change of Spanish position regardingthe Sahara under illegal occupation by Morocco.The images released by the investigation show how the Moroccan agentsbeat the people trapped at the border post, both on the Spanish andMoroccan sides, moments after the deadly avalanche.Denying the evidence and accusing those fleeing the war of being"violent" is one of the main mantras of the Spanish government. However,Minister Grande-Marlaska seems increasingly cornered, prey to his ownlies while new evidence emerges about what happened on 24J.The repercussion of what happened in Spain has a great political echo inthe international arena, including the Council of Europe, which demanded"full compliance" with human rights on the border between Melilla andMorocco, the Commission on Liberties of the European Parliament, thatdemands answers and requests for the second time an appearance byMinister Marlaska, and experts from the UN's International Mechanism ofIndependent Experts (MIEI) demanding accountability and independentinvestigations for what happened to both the Moroccan and Spanishgovernments. Amnesty International also denounced the Spanish andMoroccan actions in a report that accuses both governments of committing"crimes under international law" on June 24. Amnesty Internationalhighlights the lack of assistance: "The Spanish authorities did not inany way help the injured people who were left on the ground in Spanishterritory after the police operation ended, for which reason theyviolated their rights in multiple ways, including their right toadequate medical care and to be free from torture and other ill-treatment".The situation at other borders of the European Union is not much better.The dynamic that exists between Spain and Morocco is also reproduced,for example, between Greece and Turkey: in December we knew how 66people were forced to return to Turkish waters by the Greek Coast Guardwhile trying to reach the Hellenic country in a lifeboat. Anotherexample: 92 naked and injured people tried to cross the border betweenthe two countries in the direction of Europe. They would have done it inthese conditions after Turkey had forced them to strip before crossingthe border. In early December, a new investigation by Lighthouserevealed footage of a Bulgarian border agent firing live ammunition at arefugee. The list of examples is endless.People trying to reach Europe are treated as bargaining chips in aracist immigration policy that turns borders into blind spots forrespect for Human Rights. The impunity of what happens at the gates ofEurope gains strength due to the opacity of governments and, especially,of Frontex, the European border agency whose objective is to turn Europeinto a fortress. Surrounded by scandals of corruption and violence,Frontex is already the first uniformed and armed body of the EuropeanUnion, and its budget exceeds 900 million euros.How many people died in total that June 24 on the border between Spainand Morocco? What changes will be implemented to repeat what happened?Will there be accountability? Many of the testimonies that tried toreach our country that day remain to be known.Minister Marlaska is not considering resigning despite the seriousaccusations and illegalities that weigh on the actions of the StateSecurity Forces and Corps for which he has taken full responsibility onseveral occasions. The most serious events that contradict theminister's version are five: the entry of Moroccan gendarmes intoSpanish territory, the use of rubber bullets, what exactly happened onSpanish soil and the number of forced returns of asylum seekersrecognized by the Interior, well below the figures that the Civil Guarditself has on the ground. In addition, there is another fact in dispute:how much audiovisual material is available to the Interior and if, asthe Ministry has assured, everything has been handed over to theOmbudsman and the Prosecutor's Office, who are currently investigatingwhat happened.There are still many unanswered questions about what happened on June 24at the Spanish border. In November, PSOE and PP rejected the request tocreate a commission of investigation into the Melilla massacre. Bothparliamentary groups joined their votes this Friday in the Board ofSpokespersons before the last request for the creation of theinvestigation commission that United Podemos, ERC and EH Bildu, amongothers, had requested.Nothing indicates that the minister is going to leave office, despitethe fact that finally United We Can weigh - although it does not confirm- requesting his resignation, thus joining the same position demanded bythe rest of the parties of the Congress of Deputies. The role of UnitedWe Can in this matter is for a separate chapter. Beyond the rhetoric ofits representatives - who use expressions such as "illegal immigrants",in line with the hard wing of the extreme right - the purple formationavoids criticism of its government partner that could turn against it.The UP spokesman and General Secretary of the PCE, Enrique Santiago, nolonger demands the departure of the minister but asks to be "clear aboutwhat happened" or "corrections for the future."How many people died in total that June 24 on the border between Spainand Morocco? What changes will be implemented to repeat what happened?Will there be accountability? Many of the testimonies that tried toreach our country that day remain to be known. There is also a lot ofinformation hidden in the images from the security cameras that surroundthe perimeter of Melilla and that Interior refuses to reveal.Investigations like the one led by Lighthouse Reports - and which hasMoroccan journalists, despite the risk involved in reporting fromMorocco - have forced the head of the Interior, FernandoGrande-Marlaska, to change his story. The lie has very short legs.https://www.cnt.es/noticias/marlaska-miente/_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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