Palma protest marks 145 deaths at the borders

A protest in Palma marked the deaths of 145 people at borders since 30 July. Members of the Antiracist Assembly of Mallorca gathered at Plaza de las Columnas on Saturday to condemn rights violations against migrants, racism and border violence. Their banner called for rights without borders, communities without racism, and protection and dignity for everyone.

The assembly cited a count by Caminando Fronteras for the death toll. It said the people behind the figure must not be forgotten and that their deaths must not become normal.

The group rejected describing events in Ceuta only as a migration crisis. In its view, that puts the focus on people who migrate rather than on border policies, inequality and the underlying reasons people leave their homes.

It blamed Spanish, Moroccan and European governments and institutions for policies that, it says, put border control ahead of human rights protection. The assembly linked forced migration to poverty, inequality, insecure living conditions and damage to territories through extractivism.

It also pointed to racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia in the daily lives of migrant and racialised people. The group said this can go beyond open insults or attacks, including repeatedly treating people as outsiders or making them prove they belong where they live.

The assembly called for equality, citizenship and the right to belong, rather than expecting some people to be “integrated” into a society they already form part of. It also backed shared community structures between local, migrant and racialised people to respond to attacks, hate speech and threats that divide communities.

Topics: Court cases · Migration · Politics · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com