From the Guardian::
Spanish authorities are rushing to double the height of a fence surrounding the north African enclave of Melilla after a dozen more immigrants were injured in a battle with police as they tried to find a way on to European soil.
The injuries followed the deaths of at least three immigrants over the past three weeks during mass attempts to storm the frontier that have ended in clashes with both Spanish police and their Moroccan counterparts on the other side of Melilla’s border. Immigrants are using ladders and what one official called “military tactics” in their increasingly desperate attempts to get through the barrier erected around what is, in effect, a land frontier between the European Union and Africa.
Two 3m-high (10ft) security fences ring the Spanish enclave, which is home to 60,000 Spaniards and lies nine miles from the Moroccan city of Nador. Melilla is, with Ceuta, one of two Spanish enclaves on the coast of north Africa whose sovereignty is also claimed by Morocco. The six mile-long frontier has sensor pads, movement detectors, spotlights, infrared cameras and is patrolled by the Spanish civil guard.
The migrants, who have often travelled thousands of miles through central Africa and the Sahara to get to Melilla, try to cross the frontier in groups of up to 200. “We go in a group and all jump at once. We know that some will get through, that others will be injured and others may die, but we have to get through, whatever the cost,” one told El Periódico newspaper.Pitched battles with civil guard and army units from the notoriously tough Spanish Legion have seen rubber bullets fired at close range, according to immigrants and NGOs, while the Moroccans are accused of using bayonets and shotguns.
ISRAEL OUT OF PALESTINE! Fences are the filthy herding pens of an oppressive racist culture! Your rubber bullets are murdering the brown people, you shittly little country! Zionism = Racism! Why don’t you think of the children?
…Wait, Africa? Spain…?
Oops.
Nevermind.
(h/t Tom Pechinski)
Only conservatives can abuse the “less fortunate”. Liberals engage in activities that may, on the surface, appear to be abuse, but are actually improving life and promoting civilization. Spain used to be right-wing and went to Iraq to rape and steal oil. But now they’re left-wing, so their actions in North Africa must be viewed as the height of humanitarian benevolence.
Which gives me a thought. Israel has liberals, they even have a Liberal Party. So why can’t they form a special “liberal unit” of the Israeli Army to provide “humanitarian aid” to the Palestinians. Even get some UN peacekeepers in to train them.
Two problems solved. Israel shows the world they embrace peace, love, and socialism and the Palestinians behave or die.
Nice! BTW, there is some text in the box that relates to a prior subject.
Am I missing something, or was there a reason why you included that first paragraph, Jeff?
Oops. Cut and paste error. All fixed.
I remember seeing an interview with a French citizen about Moroccan immigration and how she wanted the government to clamp down on it and send them all back. When the interviewer called her on her attitude, she was indignant: “What do you think we are–Americans?”
Wait… so if Spain can do it… does that mean we can too?
Ha ha ha… as if.
Nick: Well, there’s a slight several-orders-of-magnitude difference in the size of the border.
And Spain doesn’t have any economic dependence on North African immigration, as far as I know…
(But if Spain was really serious about keeping people out, there’d be razor wire entanglements and machineguns. After the first few hundred deaths, nobody would try anymore.
The reasons they do not adopt this approach are fairly obvious.)
Sigi:
Our relationship with Mexico is indeed different, however, I don’t understand what you mean by economic dependence. Certainly, Mexico relies on the billions of real paper money that flows from it’s citizens working in the states. Are you implying that the US economy depends on cheap Mexican labor? I think not.
The cheap Mexicn labor is a convenience, not a necessity. Without the cheap labor, technological development and more off shore production would be the response.
Perhaps you speak of the bloated correctional officer unions who depend on illegal immigration. I’m joking, of course, but your statement assumes agreement with some hidden fact.
Please elaborate.
Ceuta and Melilla are interesting historical quirks. Ceuta originally was grabbed by Portugal’s famous Prince Henry the Navigator in 1415 during Portugal’s effort to expel the Muslims and to promote Christianity. Spain’s Phillip II ascended to Portugal’s throne in 1580, thereby putting Ceuta under Spanish rule.
Ceuta has been in Spain’s possession for more than 400 years now. Much longer than the USA has been in existance.
So this city and territory have been in European governance for almost 600 years… Funny thing, I believe Ceuta and Mellila are the last pieces of the African continent under a European state’s sovereignty.
Ceuta’s economy is heavily reliant upon Moroccan shoppers coming to buy European goods that aren’t often sold across the border. There are also many “dirty jobs” which are available to Moroccan workers as long as they return back to Morocco when they are done.
I did a bunch of research on Morocco for a “Geography of the Islamic World” a year ago…
Interesting, thanks!
I wonder if Djibouti’s status would be considered under France’s indirect sovereignty? Brrrr, no wonder they are trying to forge closer ties with the US…
Eric, I second Jeff – interesting.
Strangely walls are okay in you’re Muslim and occupy Western Sahara.
Hi!! Excuseme for my english. I’m a citizen from Ceuta, and I’ved reading this site. The situation in Ceuta is not the same that in Palestina.
Here, we are four cultures:(Christians,Jews,Muslims,Hindi) and we live in peace. Not believe all you see in TV.
Come here and see withb your eyes.
I want a double sovereignty (Spanish-Moroccan)!!!
I’m sorry. i forget it…Salam!!! Peace!!!
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