Melilla’s Crushing Anniversary Marks the Demand for Justice

Hundreds of protesters gathered on Saturday near the Spanish region of Melilla, which borders Morocco in North Africa, to commemorate a mass attempt by migrants to storm the territory, killing at least 23 people.

The “March for Justice”, organized by several human rights groups, denounced what it described as the authorities’ refusal to investigate the causes of the accident.

At least 200 people demonstrated near the fence guarding Melilla, according to what AFP journalists reported at the scene.

Activist Quinde Akijo said many families “have not yet identified their dead or their burial” after some 2,000 migrants – many from conflict-torn Sudan – stormed the metre-high fence that cuts off Melilla from Morocco on June 24, 2022.

It claimed there was no “independent investigation” into how the Moroccan and Spanish police pushed them back in one of the largest attempts to cross migrants into the enclave in recent years.

Protests were also held in several cities in Spain, including Madrid and Barcelona.

The Moroccan government says some migrants died after falling off the fence, while others suffocated when people panicked and started stampeding.

But an Amnesty International report, based on testimony from the scene, said the migrants were hit by tear gas, stoned, beaten and kicked to the ground.

Amnesty and other rights groups say at least 37 people have been killed, while 76 migrants are still missing.

“So far, Morocco and Spain have failed to release information to their loved ones about the dead and missing or to admit any wrongdoing,” said a statement from Amnesty International.

The organization added that their failure to properly investigate the disaster amounts to a violation of international law and human rights.

Both Morocco and Spain denied using excessive force, blaming migrants for the violence.