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Europe
Amnesty sez Spain, Morrocco being mean to fence-jumpers
2005-10-27
MADRID - Amnesty International accused Spanish and Moroccan security forces on Wednesday of using exorbitant force and violating immigrants’ rights in trying to repel waves of Africans seeking to gain a foothold in Europe over the past month.

The London-based but not necessarily reality-based human rights group said it had gathered immigrants’ testimony during a 10-day visit to the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, located on Morocco’s northern coast, and to three Moroccan cities.

Amnesty said it would stamp their feet appeal for an independent, international investigation steered to a suitable conclusion of the violence that left at least 11 people dead in Ceuta and Melilla as security forces opened fire on sub-Saharan Africans who climbed over - or attempted to - razor-wire fences to cross over from Morocco into those two Spanish cities. “The fence kills. The fence allows people to be killed,” delegation leader Javier Zuniga said.
Okay, when you guys each put a dozen refugees up in your own luxury homes in London, we'll agree that someone perhaps should be done.
Neither country has held its security forces accountable, Amnesty said. And in the group’s talks with Spanish and Moroccan authorities, “each side blamed the other,” said Philip Luther, another delegation member.
Posted by:Steve White

#9  The province of Andalucia is only the South of Spain (Granada, Sevilla, Cordoba, Almeria, Jaen) but in Arab parliance Al Andalus probably means the considerably larger territories who once belonged to the Caliphate of Cordoba (Murcia, Valencia and even Zaragoza). Of course for Saudis and Al Quaidists it is the whole of Spain since during seven years the Muslims had total control of Spain.
Posted by: JFM   2005-10-27 14:49  

#8  Howdy back, Deacon Blues!

Lovely scenario you describe, JFM. If true, it sheds a whole new light on things.

Sea, I think it was part of al-Andalus at one time. Pretty much all of southern Spain was, if I'm correct.
Posted by: Desert Blondie   2005-10-27 13:31  

#7  DG you read my mind. The practice of calling non-legal aliens immigrants is a step at removing their non-legal status. While it is true that the dictionary definition of immigrant is "one who leaves his native place of residence for permanent residence in a foreign land" it has been an accepted deffinition that an immigrant does things legally. Just my thoughts but by calling these people immigrants they then have implied rights under whichever country they are "immigrating" to. If they are non-legal aliens then they have no rights other than to be deported. Language is such a suttle thing.
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2005-10-27 12:21  

#6  Actually, I believe they want to do away with countries altogether and let the UN run things.

Deacon, that can be the only logical conclusion. The term "Immigrant Rights", by design, is an abstract ideal. The strategy is to combat any enforcement of sovereign border protections with international condemnation. The goal, under the guise of "Human Rights, is to replace sovereign laws with international laws prohibiting any restriction of human migration. The irony is their belief that if someone has migrated to a sovereign country illeagally they should be granted full rights under that country’s rule of law.
Posted by: DepotGuy   2005-10-27 11:49  

#5  Is this area part of al-Andalus, JFM?

/too lazy to look at a map or goggle
Posted by: Seafarious   2005-10-27 11:37  

#4  Howdy, Desert Blondie! Glad you are back. It seems Amnesty International is only interested in bashing countries that actually try to impliment their immigration laws. Amnest International wants to see world-wide open borders. Actually, I believe they want to do away with countries altogether and let the UN run things.
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2005-10-27 11:07  

#3  Desert Blondie

It is more complicated than that: Moroco wants the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla who are on the African side of the strait (Spanish since well before the kingdom of Morocco was created). It also claims the Canary islands where there was no trace of Arabs or Muslims at the time the Spanish landed.

So Morocco is trying the waters for a repetition of teh Gren March: a march of thousands of Moroccans over the territory of Spanish Sahara who succeeded in clamining that territory for Morocco. But the King of Morocco is afraid of the inbternal backlash in case the Spanish open fire (despite being led by that traitor, appeaser and kool-aid drinker of Zapatero) so they have used those Blacks for testing Spanish resolve. So they were allowed in fact, led to build ladders in order to climb the wall separating Ceuta from Morocco. It even seems that the Moroccans encouraged the Blacks to move by shooting at them as the Spanish have found that the wounds had been produced by bullets not used in the Spanish Army. Once the thing was over, the Moroccans collected the Blacks who han't succeeded in crossing and abandonned them in the desert.
Posted by: JFM   2005-10-27 11:05  

#2  How DARE those Spaniards and Moroccans defend their borders without express written permission (in triplicate and notarized, too!) from Amnesia International!

(Is it just me, or does Amnesty only have a problem with fences that keep people out as opposed to fences that herd people in? I don't recall their panties getting in a twist over the Berlin Wall, but I was a mere tot back then.)
Posted by: Desert Blondie   2005-10-27 09:10  

#1  No half as mean as I would be to a AI lawyer if I laid sight on one.
Posted by: Sock Puppet O´ Doom   2005-10-27 01:30  

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