The barrier surrounds Melilla, a town of 85,000 separated from the Spanish mainland by the Strait of Gibraltar. Nonprofits working in northern Africa and human rights organizations have deplored the treatment the migrants received from police on both sides. At one point, the fence collapses, sending many of the migrants to the ground from a height of several meters. More gruesome videos and photos posted online appear to show the aftermath of the crossing attempt, with scores of young men, some of them motionless and others barely moving and bleeding as Moroccan security forces stood over them. “Melilla is Europe’s southern frontier, and that is why Europe must look to the south,” Melilla chief Eduardo de Castro said Monday.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 28, 2022 06:48 UTC