Death of dozens of migrants triggers protests in Spanish cities and Melilla
By BABOUCARR CEESAY
Citizens of Sub-Saharan Africa with overwhelming solidarity from different nationalities including Spanish and Moroccans have on Friday. July 1, 2022 organised rallies to protest against the deaths of dozens of African migrants
NGOs said at 37 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa lost their lives, while Moroccan authorities said up to 23 migrants died when 2,000 migrants tried to enter into the Spanish enclave of Melilla in northern Morocco.
Denouncing migration policies and militarization of borders, the protests attracted thousands of people gathered in different cities in Spain including Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Vigo, San Sebastian and in Melilla, Morocco.
The rally held at Plaza de Callao, Madrid in Spain gathered different people including Africans raising placards demanding for global free movement of goods and people, equality, justice, investigation into to the incident that lead to such huge loss of lives of migrants who were not warriors.
Ibrahim Ndiaye, one of the Sub-Saharan protesters in Madrid said that Africans have gone through enough atrocities from the days of slavery and colonialism, which the West used to build their economies.
“We are still demanding for a fair world but only a deaf ear has been turned to our call. Killing of migrants for only attempting to go to another country is unjustifiable even if they used force,” he told The Monitor.
Several associations in collaboration with Sub-Saharan communities in Morocco demonstrated in front of parliament.
Protesters in Morocco called on authorities to stop acting for EU politicians, adding that EU funded migration policy must end.
They want thorough and independent investigation and the final return of the bodies to the families for dignified burials.
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