| Author (Person) | Nielsen, Nikolaj |
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| Series Title | EUObserver |
| Series Details | 14.02.14 |
| Publication Date | 14/02/2014 |
| Content Type | News |
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Despite repeated denials by the central government delegate in Ceuta and the director general of the Civil Guard, Arsenio Fernández de Mesa, the Spanish interior minister confirmed on the 13 February 2014 that rubber bullets were used to repel a mass attempt by would-be immigrants to reach European soil via the Ceuta border fence the previous week. Subsequently, the European Commission said it wanted answers to questions about the incident. Amnesty International called for a full, effective and independent investigation. El País and the BBC reported that at least 200 migrants were taken to a temporary shelter in Melilla on the 28 February 2014 after they successfully reached Spanish territory when they stormed a border fence shortly after dawn. In early March 2014 Euronews and other news sources reported that in two further waves over 1,500 people had tried to illegally breach Spain’s border with Morocco. On the 4 March 2014 Spain’s Interior Minister, Jorge Fernández Díaz said: 'There is a huge wave of migration, with thousands and thousands of people trying to enter illegally in Spain and so in the European Union'. The Spanish government wanted €45m from the European Commission in the form of an extraordinary and urgent payment to help confront the 'emergency situation' in Ceuta and Melilla. |
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| Source Link | http://euobserver.com/justice/123151 |
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| Subject Categories | Justice and Home Affairs |
| Countries / Regions | Northern Africa, Southern Europe, Spain |
