Following one of the most serious migration crises at Spain’s borders in recent years, the Communist Party of the Workers of Spain (PCTE) has issued a statement, condemning both the exploitation of migrants for geopolitical purposes and the reactionary attempts to fuel racism and xenophobia.
The statement (read here in Spanish) reads:
"Between Thursday and Friday, around 50,000 people crossed the border by land and sea from Morocco into Ceuta, thousands of them minors. More than 50 deaths have been reported so far, making this one of the worst humanitarian crises ever witnessed at Spain’s borders. By Friday, the overwhelming majority had returned to Morocco.
These events can be understood as a means of pressure exerted by the Moroccan regime in the context of Spain-Morocco relations, coinciding with Morocco’s increasingly close ties with the U.S.-Israel axis and a new phase of rapprochement between Spain and Algeria. Meanwhile, Spain’s coalition government has blamed the situation exclusively on human trafficking networks, deliberately avoiding any connection between what has occurred and the diplomatic, political, commercial and military relations shaping the region.
In response to the events in Ceuta, which the most reactionary sectors have gone so far as to describe as an “invasion,” we denounce the fact that such situations are made possible by the conditions endured by broad sections of the Moroccan people, whose hardship can easily be manipulated and exploited in the disputes between capitalist governments and states.
Likewise, we condemn the way in which these events have provided the most reactionary sectors of Spanish society with an opportunity to intensify their campaign of xenophobia, racism and the militarization of public life. This development is closely linked to the broader increase in state violence, not only in relations between competing powers but also domestically, where it serves to discipline the working class and keep it as divided as possible.
Migrant workers must not become scapegoats. The root causes of the hardships faced by the overwhelming majority of working people in Spain lie in capitalism and in the governments that administer it.
To those who seek to pit workers born in Spain against those who have been forced to leave their own countries, we reaffirm that our interests are common. There can be no solution in the interests of the working class through racism, xenophobia or competition among workers. The only path forward lies in organization and united struggle against those who profit from our exploitation.
We reject military deployment, repression, summary expulsions without legal guarantees, and the further militarization of borders that have turned the Mediterranean and the areas around Ceuta and Melilla into a mass grave. We demand full respect for the fundamental rights of every human being, dignified treatment for unaccompanied minors, and a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
At the same time, we condemn the Moroccan government’s use of the migrant population as an instrument of political pressure, while also denouncing the responsibility of the Spanish government and the European Union, whose economic, political and military relations contribute to perpetuating poverty, dependency and the lack of prospects that force thousands of people to leave their homes.
We call upon the working class and the popular sectors not to fall victim to reactionary propaganda. Against racism, militarization and division, we must uphold internationalist solidarity and the unity of all workers, regardless of their origin or nationality.
Against racism, war and exploitation—unity of the working class!".
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