Europe

Home page

Europe

Spanish official insists security forces not to blame for Ceuta tragedy

20 March 2014 03:16 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Spain's Secretary of State for Security Francisco Martinez insisted on Wednesday that the use of anti-disturbance material during an attempt by sub-Saharan immigrants who tried to swim into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta had "not provoked episodes of panic," in the incident in which 15 would-be immigrants drowned, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Speaking in the Spanish Congress, Martinez repeated the argument previously used by Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez that the material was merely used to "dissuade" the immigrants.

He admitted 145 rubber bullets and five smoke bombs had been fired into the water where the immigrants were swimming by 40 Guardia Civiles (Civil Guards) , but insisted: "no immigrant was hit by the anti-disturbance material."

"There were no drowned bodies in Spanish waters, there were no voices of alarm over drownings and you can see that in the images," said Martinez during an appearance which lasted over two hours.

The Guardia Civil had originally denied using anti-disturbance material, but changed their story once video evidence to the contrary came to light.

Martinez said the use of smoke bombs had been to "generate a cloud of smoke and therefore resulted 'innocuous'."

The 15 deaths were, he said, because "of a combination of factors: they (the immigrants) ran into the water, with no visibility, excited and tired. They made a mistake in their appreciation of the depth of the sea and many of them didn't know how to swim."

The secretary of state did, however, admit that the use of rubber bullets and smoke bombs "should be avoided."

The tragedy of Feb. 6 has not ended the continued attempts by sub-Saharan's desperate to try and enter the Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla. The successful attempt by a further 500 immigrants to climb the frontier wire in Melilla on Tuesday has once again highlighted the problem, which is stretching the resources in the enclaves.

Spain will send a further 100 anti-disturbance police and 20 more Guardia Civiles to protect the frontier, while in Melilla the center for immigrants is operating at around four times capacity.

Meanwhile thousands more Africans are waiting in the hills outside the cities for the chance to try and gain entry. Martinez insisted that on occasion they used "violence and aggression" in order to gain entry.

"It is a problem for the state," he said. "it is necessary to reach a national pact because this is a complex, dynamic problem with a humanitarian problem."