Spanish officials to be questioned over migrant deaths

2014-02-15 107

The Spanish government is to be investigated following Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz’s admission that police in Spain’s north African enclave Ceuta fired rubber bullets at migrants who were trying to swim there from Morocco.

Twelve people reportedly died as a result of the incident.

A previous statement from Spain’s Civil Guard had denied that bullets were fired in the events on February 6. The apparently inconsistent versions of events caused questions to be raised about the government’s integrity.

Antonio Hernando of the Socialist PSOE opposition party indirectly asked for the resignation of the head of the Civil Guard and the Interior Minister.

“If the twelve dead people were white, Spanish and with identity cards, the Director General of the Civil Guard wouldn’t have gone to work today and the government delegate would already have been fired,” he said.

The episode triggered protests throughout Spain. However, the government insists no one was hit and the action was justified.

The European Commission has said it will ask Spain to explain its decision to open fire.