Imogen Calderwood
SPAIN has come under fire from Amnesty International, for spending 30 times more on border defence than on improving conditions for asylum seekers.
The human rights NGO slammed Spain’s attitude to migration in a report on immigration into the European Union.
Spain spent more than 289 million on border protection, between 2007 and 2013.
In comparison, the government spent just 9.3 million on improving the situation of potential migrants.
Migrants who make it onto Spanish soil risk being forced straight back into Morocco, going against European legislation.
The report also referenced the incident that hit international headlines in February, when 14 migrants drowned after border guards fired rubber bullets into the swimming group.
A further 23 people who made it into Spain were returned immediately to Morocco, without access to the formal asylum procedure, which states that migrants must first be processed before being returned to their home countries.
The whole of the EU spent nearly 2 billion on border protection, while just 700 million was spent on improving the situation in the migrants’ countries.
Amnesty called on EU nations to ‘start putting people before borders’.
The statement added: “The human tragedies unfolding every day at Europe’s borders are neither inevitable, nor beyond the EU’s control.”
Connect fence to mains electric that will do it and cheaper!!
You missed your way Esco. Should have been around in a previous era. Say, 1939, working for a certain tooth-brush moustache man.
Esco, good idea but I expect they will wear rubber gloves.. Maybe back it up with rubber bullets and gas.