Spanish politicians demand more explanation about Melilla migrant tragedy

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) – Spain’s political parties, with the exception of the ruling Socialist Party, have demanded more explanation about the Melilla migrant tragedy after watching police videos.

The videos were screened behind closed doors, but a select group of politicians could see what occurred the day when at least 23 migrants died while trying to cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Melilla.

Independent experts said the true death toll was as high as 37. “I wish you, the journalists, would have been able to see the same videos, so you could have seen Marlaska’s lies,” Popular Party politician Ana Vazquez said in a press conference, referring to Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande Marlaska, who was in charge of the police and military response at the border.

Enrique Santiago of Spain’s junior coalition partner Unidas Podemos called the images “tremendous” and criticized the government for engaging in hundreds of illegal pushbacks. He also said Spain needs a protocol to avoid such violence.

All groups called for Marlaska to testify about the incident again on Wednesday and did not rule out voting in favor of a parliamentary investigation into the tragedy.

Speaking from Brussels on Friday, Marlaska stuck to the same story, insisting that no deaths occurred on Spanish territory and that Spain’s response at the border was “legal and proportionate.”

He also accused the politicians who saw the video of not watching the full eight hours of footage and of bringing in “personal biases.”