Deadly Melilla crush anniversary marked by call for ‘justice’

Hundreds of protesters rallied Saturday near Spain’s North African exclave of Melilla, bordering Morocco, to mark a mass attempt by migrants to storm the territory, in which at least 23 people died.

The “marches for justice,” organized by several rights groups, denounced what they said was the authorities’ refusal to investigate the causes of the incident.

At least 200 people demonstrated near the fences guarding Melilla, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists at the scene.

Activist Quinndy Akeju said many families “had not yet identified or buried their dead” after some 2,000 migrants – many from conflict-torn Sudan – stormed the meters-high fence that seals off Melilla from Morocco on June 24, 2022.

She claimed there had been no “independent inquiry” into how Moroccan and Spanish police repelled them in one of the biggest attempted migrant crossings 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 from the fences, while others suffocated as people panicked and a stampede started.

But an Amnesty International report based on testimony from the scene said migrants were hit with tear gas, pelted with stones and beaten as well as kicked while on the ground.

Amnesty and other rights groups say at least 37 people were killed, with another 76 migrants still missing.

“To date, Morocco and Spain have failed to even release information to loved ones about the dead and missing or to acknowledge any wrongdoing,” said a statement from Amnesty.

Their failure to properly investigate the disaster amounted to a violation of international law and human rights, the group added.

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