Up to 37 people died when as many as 500 stormed the Spain-Morocco border on June 24
And on Wednesday June 29, hundreds of people gathered outside the Government Delegation in Murcia city to demand “justice for the racist murders”.
Under the banner “No human being is illegal”, the crowds expressed their rejection of Spanish and European migration policies and urged the authorities to “receive refugees with dignity”:
“No more racist murders”… “They are not deaths, they are murders”…and ‘”No to identity racism”, read some of the banners carried by protestors who want refugees to be “given a safe passage, now”.
Some of those attending the rally recreated a distressing image that went viral following the border storm with dozens of protestors piling themselves on top of each other in the middle of Avenida Teniente Flomesta. There have been no reports of any disturbances at the demonstration organised by the Association of Moroccan Immigrant Workers (ATIM), the Federation of African Associations of Murcia (FaAM) and Murcia Acoge.
ATIM has issued a statement, addressed to Spain’s President, Pedro Sánchez, in which members state that “the guilty parties are not the mafias that traffic people, however despicable their work may be. The culprits of these deaths are the politicians who traffic in human rights…and control of migrants from the African continent”.
Officials put the death toll at 23, but non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on the ground claim the death toll could be significantly higher, citing 37.
The Melilla “massacre” has put both countries well and truly under the spotlight and has prompted international condemnation. The United Nations said on Wednesday that both Spain and Morocco deployed an “excessive use of force” during the mass crossing attempt.
Images: ATIM
Source: Murcia Today
