The division that exists between the PSOE and Sumar within the Government over the role played by Morocco in the Ceuta crisis has deepened in recent hours following the police report sent to the National Court, which points to direct responsibility of the authorities of that country in the avalanche of last July 30. Sumar has raised the tone and demands that its partner provide answers about those indications sent to Judge María Tardón, just as it calls for diplomatic consequences against Rabat if this line is confirmed.
As has been constant during this month of crisis, Izquierda Unida (IU) has been the part of the left alliance that has taken the lead in the face of the latest revelations, which put the official version defended tooth and nail by the socialist part of the Government in the spotlight, and which basically boils down to exonerating Morocco of everything.
The federal coordinator of Izquierda Unida, Antonio Maíllo, has pointed out that it is “evident” that Morocco “has always been” there and has recalled that he has been warning for a month that it was “a mistake not to consider what is evidence,” which is “Morocco’s responsibility in this crisis.” “You cannot look the other way, and it is a mistake not to do so,” he warned.
Furthermore, Maíllo has highlighted that there is also a “criminal responsibility” of Rabat for the death that day of 145 people who tried to enter and died at sea.
In statements in the Parliament of Andalusia, where he leads the coalition Por Andalucía, Maíllo focused on the fact that the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande Marlaska, was unaware of the report made by the intelligence unit of the General Immigration Police Station, the so-called CENIF (acronym for National Immigration and Borders Center).
“If it is confirmed that the Police have been disloyal to the Ministry of the Interior, the Director General of the Police will have to resign, and if it is confirmed that the Ministry of the Interior had this information and did not transmit it, then the Minister of the Interior will have to assume responsibility.” This was in response to a question about whether there should be “resignations” after this episode.
“The problem with that report is that it did not reach the Minister of the Interior, when it should have,” emphasized the IU leader.
For the spokesperson of Sumar in Congress, Verónica Barbero, the information being revealed about the report is “serious.” So, first of all, she demands “clarity and transparency.”
“We need to know the full content of that report which has been partially leaked. All necessary explanations must also be given. And if that information was not transmitted to the Ministry of the Interior [by the police unit], responsibilities must be investigated, because it is very serious,” Barbero said.
In any case, although more timidly than IU, Sumar points out that Morocco has “responsibilities” in the entry of 72,000 people into Ceuta. Whether by “action or omission,” since it is their border and when it wants, it has it sealed. That is why Barbero has now delved into this idea after the police report: “Continuing to say that Morocco had nothing to do with it is becoming increasingly difficult.” It is a message to the PSOE, because the rest of the political groups point to Morocco.
And what happens if it is confirmed that behind the avalanche is the hand of Rabat? Sumar demands consequences. The parliamentary spokesperson emphasizes that if the terms of the report’s content are “proven,” which point to the Moroccan Gendarmerie as a participant, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “should urgently summon the Moroccan ambassador in Spain to demand explanations.”
IU already asked weeks ago that the alleged guilt of Morocco required evaluating relations between Spain and Morocco, because it was not the “reliable” partner that Pedro Sánchez and José Manuel Albares say it is.
As EL MUNDO has been reporting, Marlaska has denied having knowledge of that police report sent to the judge and has sent a letter to the Director General of the Police to ask for explanations and to know since when he had that information, which is “essential for the Government to be able to make the appropriate decisions regarding the migratory crisis in Ceuta in the exercise of its constitutional functions.”
Podemos demands Marlaska’s dismissal and the break with Morocco
Podemos has demanded that the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, dismiss the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, for considering that it has been “the Government itself” that has recognized “the existence of a report that would point to the actions of the Moroccan authorities as the trigger of the current crisis in Ceuta.”
Sources from the purple party demand above all “maximum transparency.” “Sánchez must immediately explain why he has lied and why he has hidden information since July 30 and 31 and, especially, why he insists on protecting Morocco.”
Regarding this, Podemos insists on asking “what Sánchez owes to Morocco” and, as it did on Monday, demands the breaking of diplomatic relations with the Moroccan “dictatorship.”
As for the humanitarian crisis, Podemos sources denounce that the Government’s “inaction” “implies the violation of the human rights of thousands of people and is, moreover, fuel for the far right.” The purples consider that Spain would be capable of resolving this situation in “a matter of hours” but point out that there is not enough will to do so, because the necessary resources are not being activated.
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