Morocco-Spain: Activists try to occupy Spanish fortress
The latest in a spate of attempts by Moroccan activists
(ANSAMed) - MADRID, AUGUST 29 - Four Moroccan activists from the Committee to Free Ceuta and Melilla were briefly detained at dawn on Wednesday after trying to occupy Spain's Penon de Velez de la Gomera fortress off the Moroccan coast, Spanish enclave government delegate, Abdelmalik El Berkani, told reporters.
A total of seven activists reached the fortress, on a peninsula 130 kilometers west of Melilla. Arriving on foot at 6.30am, they tried to place flags from their movement. Stopped by Spanish military border police, three activists fled while the other four were questioned, identified and then released, El Berkani said.
Committee activists have made several attempts to occupy Spanish-owned rock fortresses recently, El Berkani said. In 2002, the landing of Moroccan troops on Spain's Perejl Island in the Strait of Gibraltar caused a diplomatic incident between the two countries.
A total of seven activists reached the fortress, on a peninsula 130 kilometers west of Melilla. Arriving on foot at 6.30am, they tried to place flags from their movement. Stopped by Spanish military border police, three activists fled while the other four were questioned, identified and then released, El Berkani said.
Committee activists have made several attempts to occupy Spanish-owned rock fortresses recently, El Berkani said. In 2002, the landing of Moroccan troops on Spain's Perejl Island in the Strait of Gibraltar caused a diplomatic incident between the two countries.
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