Spanish police crackdown on migrant protest in Sevilla
Police units were sent to the University of Sevilla last Thursday to end a sit-in demonstration by a group of Moroccan and Algerian migrant workers.
Source : Base21
by Christian/Media Activist
dvs-b@t-online.de
Police units were sent to the University of Sevilla last Thursday to end a sit-in demonstration by a group of Moroccan and Algerian migrant workers. They had occupied the campus for nearly two months to protest the harsh treatment of migrant workers all over Europe.
During the storming of the campus, more than 270 protestors were arrested. Eight North Africans on a hunger strike were taken to the hospital. The others who were arrested are still in jail, according to supporters of the struggle. Most of them are facing deportation.
The migrant workers started protesting one week before an important European Union summit was held on June 21st-22nd. Since then, almost 500 migrant workers have demanded legalization and better work conditions.
Spanish police stated that the storming and the removal of protestors occurred without violence since they met no resistance from the side of the occupiers.
But in an interview with Juan Carique, an attorney from the “Democratic Organization of Foreign Workers,” he said he was reminded of the “darkest times of the Franco dictatorship.” “The storming of the campus was really brutal,” said Carlos Serrano, a member of a supporting group. He also criticized student leaders. According to Serrano, in the beginning they supported the struggle, but as the protesters continued the occupation after the E.U. summit, the student leadership wanted to stop the action.
The vice rector then called in the police, because “the campus changed into a refugee camp.”
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