Spanish minister defends police accused of brutality at Melilla border

Spain’s inside minister has defended the behaviour of police who had been filmed beating and pepper-spraying a younger sub-Saharan African man as he climbed over the border fence between Morocco and Spain’s north African enclave of Melilla, insisting the officers’ use of drive was “proportionate”.

The video emerged final week as about 3,700 folks tried to scale the six-metre (20ft) fence over two days. On Wednesday, an unprecedented 2,500 folks tried to clamber over the border, of whom 491 succeeded. The next day, 1,200 folks tried to cross over, with 380 making it.

The incident, which occurred as Spain drew up an categorical system to absorb folks fleeing the struggle in Ukraine, has been criticised by human rights teams and has drawn the eye of Spain’s public ombudsman.

Spain’s authorities, nevertheless, mentioned “the extent of aggression” displayed by a few of these making an attempt to cross into Melilla was unprecedented, including that about 60 Guardia Civil and Policía Nacional officers, and 52 migrants, had been injured on Wednesday and Thursday. Its delegate within the enclave mentioned some folks had screwed bolts to their footwear to assist them cross, posing “an enormous threat” to police.

Footage of the incident, shot by Spain’s nationwide broadcaster, RTVE, reveals the person being struck as he descends, after which once more as he reaches Spanish soil and is crushed to the bottom and set upon by a minimum of 5 cops.

Virginia Álvarez, a refugee and migration knowledgeable at Amnesty Worldwide Spain, mentioned the photographs had been particularly jarring as Spain ready to assist Ukrainian refugees.

“Whereas that’s occurring, migrant folks on our personal borders are being punished with excessive brutality,” she mentioned. “Is that this the picture we wish to challenge? Is that how we’re going to absorb individuals who might also be fleeing doable battle and persecution?”

Andalucía’s Professional-Human Rights Affiliation mentioned the Spanish authorities wanted to supply a proof concerning the incident and on “the pushbacks [summary returns] which can be happening”.

Spain’s public ombudsman, Ángel Gabilondo, mentioned he had requested the federal government for extra data on “what would look like a disproportionate use of drive by the officers”.

He added: “Border management needs to be undertaken with respect for the ensures and elementary rights of everybody, whether or not they’re brokers of authority or folks making an attempt to enter nationwide territory.”

However talking on a go to to Melilla on Saturday, Spain’s inside minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, described the border breaches as “extraordinarily violent” and mentioned meat hooks, sticks and hammers had been used within the crossings.

The minister additionally mentioned the extent of violence the police had endured was evident within the cracked helmets and broken ballistic shields he had been proven.

Grande-Marlaska mentioned that whereas cops had been all the time sure by the legislation, they’d proven a “proportionate” response to the scenario.

“A democratic state with the rule of legislation can’t enable its borders – which on this case are EU borders – to be violently attacked,” he mentioned. “Nor can it enable its public servants within the Guardia Civil and Policía Nacional, who present the required house for all of us to have the ability to train our rights and freedoms, to be assaulted.”

In Could final yr, about 10,000 folks – together with 2,000 minors – crossed into Spain’s different north African enclave, Ceuta, over the course of some days.

Their arrival led the Spanish authorities to accuse Morocco of taking part in politics with its borders after Madrid allowed the chief of the Western Sahara independence motion to enter Spain for Covid remedy.