“Their life, our light. Their destiny, our anger. Open the borders!”
February 6, 2024 – Tenth anniversary
Global day of struggle against the deadly border regime and to demand truth, justice and reparation for victims of migration and their families.
Private Memorial in Tangier. Source: Alarm Phone
On February 6, 2014 more than 200 people left from the Moroccan coast and tried to reach Tarajal beach, in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, by swimming. The Guardia Civil deployed anti-riot equipment to stop them from arriving on “Spanish land,” and the Moroccan military present did not help the people who were drowning in front of them. Fifteen bodies were found on the Spanish side, dozens of others disappeared, the survivors were pushed back, and some died on the Moroccan side.
Ten years have passed since the Tarajal massacre. Ten years during which the number of dead and missing has continued to increase, in the Mediterranean and on the Canary Islands route, within the internal borders of the EU, on the English Channel, on the eastern borders, along the Balkan route, in the Sahara Desert and along any other mobility trajectory. The border regime in 2023 has been as cynical and unhinged as ever; for example during the sinking off Cutro, when on the night of February 25, 94 people died and at least 11 others disappeared a few meters from the Italian coast, under the motionless gaze of Frontex and the Italian authorities. And again on June 14 when more than 600 people disappeared forever off the coast of Pylos, Greece or on April 23, 2022, when a boat with 90 people on it sank off the Lebanese coast.
Ten years during which associations, families, and all those who fight for the right to freedom of movement for all have continued to demand truth and justice for these victims. They highlight the direct and indirect responsibilities of the border regime and work tirelessly to support families and loved ones in their painful journey of searching for the missing and identifying the victims.
On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Tarajal massacre, we reiterate here the appeal launched last year, with the hope that even more organizations, associations, families and activists join in this decentralized CommemorActions process carried out each year on February 6.
We hope this transnational mobilization becomes more widespread, i.e. more and more visible in public space and bringing together more and more people. We ask all social and political organizations, secular and religious groups and collectives of families of victims of migration as well as citizens worldwide to organize actions of protest and raise awareness of this situation on February 6, 2024.
All events that will have a location can be published on the group and on the “Commemor-Action” Facebook page, as well as commemorAction.net
