After the beaches of Greece, Italy and elsewhere, this week a small portion of Spanish territory on the northern coast of Africa became the latest deadly point in Europe’s fight to stop the wave of immigrants from the unfortunate regions of the world.
In an unprecedented flow of people, more than 8,000 people climbed the border fence and swam from Morocco to the Spanish-administered Ceuta enclave.
Some swimmers knelt and pray before wading into the Mediterranean from a Moroccan beach, hoping to land in Ceuta and then start a new life on the European continent from there.
A barefoot swimmer seemed exhausted and could not immediately drag himself out of the waves. He lay face down, making a grimace, and clutching the wet sand with his right hand. The man later hugged a Spanish Red Cross worker who comforted him.
Other immigrants piled up on fragile ships. A small boat carrying 14 young people was squeezed tightly on the boat, floating dangerously low on the surface of the water. They used an empty bottle to rescue it. Another man held tightly behind him and swam around.
Spanish troops wearing body armor and long batons rushed into the hole in the porous border that blocked people’s flow, and surrounded young people wearing Bermuda shorts, sportswear and football shirts bearing the name of the sport’s biggest star.
The soldiers chased immigrants and refugees in sandals and torn shoes. At night, the sounds of people running and hiding echoed in the alleys of Ceuta.
On the Moroccan side, more young people flock to Ceuta along the inaccessible paths through tall flowering shrubs.
Posting along the towering border fence, Spanish soldiers watched through their meshes as migrants gather on the other side, on the boulder-filled seashore and arid hills overlooking Ceuta.
The Spanish army used tear gas canisters to spray tear gas into the inflated crowd, and the pungent smoke dragged the curly white feathers.
There is growing concern that immigrants from Morocco entering the Spanish North African enclave Ceuta will be abused.
As the leaders of the Ceuta enclave described, Madrid has returned about half of the 6,000 who arrived.
The Spanish Red Cross reported that 16 of the 23 people on the ship near El Hierro Island were also in “serious conditions”.
Post time: May-28-2021