A first short report about what happend Tuesday morning 4th of March at
the border of Ceuta.
Please spread this information via your press contacts. It is disgusting
how European medias are reporting about the current events at Ceuta and
Melilla.
We try to get more information about what happened. Feel free to contact
us for sharing of information.
In solidarity
No Borders Morocco
*****
1500 Migrants attempt to storm Ceuta - Guardia Civil beat them on Moroccan
Soil
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, around 1500 people tried to storm
the Ceuta border fence. They were heavily beaten by Spanish Guardia Civil
forces who were operating on Moroccan soil. There are rumours of three
people dead or at least heavily injured.
The following is from an eye witness account.
Tuesday, 4th March 2014
In the small hours of Tuesday morning, well over a thousand migrants wait
in the forest looking down on the fences of Ceuta. People arriving from
all over Morocco, coming here to strike. Everyone’s organising and
preparing themselves for the attack. Speeches are made, making sure
everyone knows not to take weapons like knives, sticks and rocks but most
of all, to go without anger. All people are focusing on having a better
life and not violence. To surrender when defeated but prepare for the
control and beatings by the police, having stones thrown at them and hit
by their metal batons. Because one thing is certain and that is that the
police will try to hit them and they will try to hurt them.
It was clear from the beginning that the police already had information
and were prepared for the attack. Guards were there on stand by three days
before the attempted strike. Boats and a sea plane were already in the
water, lines of riot vans and bus loads more security than usual were
stationed on land. Everybody were ready to strike as one, but with the
large body of people, it was difficult to put into effect. People split
into groups and formed into waves for the attack.
The first wave made it to the doors of a sea drainage tunnel close to the
fence. Moroccan guards were blocking the tunnel with a line of police at
the entrance, police cars parked in front of them. More guards stood on
the top, throwing rocks at the migrants. There were also hundreds of
Spanish Guardia Civil on the Moroccan side, prepared to join the Moroccan
forces. The wave continued regardless and attempted to pass the blockade
and over onto the beach, towards the fence. Everyone swarmed the police
but also themselves, causing people to fall and be trampled by others. The
Spanish Guardia Civil as well as the Moroccan forces took the opportunity
to start beating people. People fought back with words, shouting things
like “why do you kill our brothers and sisters?” and “you are killers!”,
referring to the 6th February, when at least 15 people were killed in the
water from attacks by Guardia Civil armed with rubber bullets and tear
gas. The police just beat them harder. They beat people again and again,
on their legs, arms and head.
Unbelievably and of course, illegally, Spanish Guardia Civil forces were
operating on Moroccan soil. They were wearing black masks to hide their
identity while they hit people violently with their batons and smothering
them with tear gas. Everybody had no choice but to surrender. They tied
peoples hands together, beating people more as they were doing so. They
took large groups to Tetouan police station, keeping them in the car park
because there were so many. They gave no food to the people and instead
continued to beat them.
The second and third wave came behind while other people were being
controlled. The same thing happened to the rest of the people, they were
taken to the police station. Everyone was split into groups coinciding the
towns they had come from. And eventually, people were taken to buses and
driven away.
The general news in Europe, say that the incident caused no injuries to
anyone. This is not true, Moroccan forces were seen beating people with
iron bars over the head. It is rumoured that three people were killed in
the attack, some unconscious people were seen to be carried away but it is
unconfirmed as to their condition.