• 120 organizations call demonstrations today in 50 cities across Spain •
Labor unions, refugee activists, human rights groups and opposition politicians will gather in more than 50 cities across Spain this afternoon to maintain pressure on the Spanish government to reject an agreement between the European Union (EU) and Turkey for the collective expatriation of migrants and refugees from European border countries to refugee processing camps inside Turkey.
Madrid, Almería, Bilbao, Córdoba, Cuenca, Málaga, Murcia, Sevilla, Valladolid and Zaragoza are among the principal cities targeted for the demonstrations, which have been called by more than 120 Spanish labour and non-governmental organizations for 4:30 pm Wednesday, in advance of Spanish acting president Mariano Rajoy’s participation beginning Thursday at a two-day meeting of the European Council to debate and vote upon the EU-Turkey agreement.
Acting Foreign Minister José Manuel García-Margallo said Monday in Brussels that Spain rejects collective expulsions of the migrants and refugees as a violation of international law and Tuesday night the Rajoy government submitted the text of a draft resolution to all parties in Congress that would express Spain’s rejection of the current terms of the EU-Turkey deal. Leaders of the opposition Socialist party (PSOE), anti-austerity party Podemos and Izquiera Unida (United Left) have all expressed support for today’s demonstrations.
► Read More in Spanish at El Confidencial and Público …
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