They didn't just die - Spain massacred 37 refugees crossing in Melilla

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: World Socialist Web Site
28 Jun 2022 16:19
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Europe's systemic violence does not have a place in "international" condemnation - but, massacres were committed and not a word was spoken in the conferences.

Refugees on the border between Melilla and Morocco. (AP)

Most recently, what seemed like an "unfortunate event" on the Morocco-Melilla border was, thanks to videos circulated by the media, a massacre that brutally killed 37 mostly-African refugees coming from Chad, Niger, South Sudan and Sudan. Over 150 were injured in the systemic violence, which included charges and beatings by security forces coming from both the Spanish and the Moroccan sides.

The scene at the border is hardly representative of Spain's "democratic" values. After refugees, fleeing wars that have no end in Africa, climbed fences that erect 6 to 10 meters high, they were beaten up violently by Spanish police, that worked in close coordination with the Moroccan authorities, calling them in illegally.

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez articulated his full support for the border guards' actions, demonizing the refugees as attackers on the "territorial integirty" of Spain.

Europe’s imperialist viewpoint of the world comes as no surprise – the increasing militarization and systemic brutality of the continent’s armies are resurrecting grounds for fascist violence on its borders as well as its neo-colonies.

More alive than ever today, European fascism (even the self-proclaimed leftist presidents) is waging a war on the east, their armies in the process of deploying the most brutal forms of repression against those standing in their way of imperial conquest.

#Spain #Morocco border #Melilla
Fire was opened on, deaths were watched, pulses were checked if they’re still alive, woundeds were beaten, investigation wasn’t carried out, deaths and injureds weren’t counted. Spain congrated Morocco for cooperation
Crime against humanity! pic.twitter.com/lK65SnjidX
— Dr. Kerem KINIK (@drkerem_en) June 26, 2022

See more: Trying to reach Europe: Dead and missing

The magnitude of the crime is unaddressed: Not only is there a media blackout on the topic, but also there was no word of mention of the catastrophe in the G7 Summit which will come to an end today.

The Spanish government, in conjuncture with the NATO Summit, will be pushing to designate border crossings as a “hybrid threat” alongside terrorism as part of NATO’s new strategy concept – very fitting for a country with a ‘leftist’ president.

Europe has been taking on an anti-refugee concept – rigid and violence. Last winter, Poland left refugees to freeze to death in the forests on its border. In 2019, Italy’s Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, called on the EU to suspend all naval rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea, which left thousands of people to drown. “Progressive” Finland, with its application to join NATO, declared its intention to begin constructing barriers along its border with Russia to guard against any refugees being used as “hybrid warfare” by Russia.

This comes hand-in-hand with NATO’s latest strategy, which entails ramping up troop presence in the eastern flank of Europe from 40,000 to 300,000 troops, and employing expansion strategies to counter Russia and China. With that being said, NATO very much hopes to expand in Africa in terms of its military operations – and that in itself entails violence.

Europe’s closest ally, the US, saw yesterday evening a semi-truck trailer filled with scores of dead bodies – mainly undocumented Central American immigrants that were found on the Texan borders with Mexico. This comes as a result of Biden’s anti-immigrant policies, not to mention ICE and detention centers on the borders.

History only seems to repeat itself, as Europe works day and night to continue creating and expanding the material conditions for racism, violence and exploitation to counter rising emerging economies – which, today, is BRICS, spearheaded by Russia and China. In this case, refugees are collateral damage of this imperial race.