The Canary Islands have received a wave of immigrants landing on its beach after an arduous crossing from North-West Africa this year.
Consequently the Islands authorities have beseeched the Central Government in Madrid to handle some of the load as their facilities are already swamped.
Some autonomous regions in the country run under a right-wing government have baulked at receiving a quota; some because they already are close to saturation and others for ideological reasons.
Many of these immigrants from the Canary Islands are to be housed in public and private buildings as a temporary measure, amongst them, a hotel in Axarquia (Málaga).
The hotel in question is Hotel Urban Beach in El Morche, in Torrox-Costa. It is a 4-star establishment through which 385 male immigrants have passed between October and this week. The majority are from Senegal and the rest are from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, amongst others.
Each immigrant’s case is examined individually; some will be sent back, others (some claiming international protection) will be allowed to stay and prepared for their new life, explained a representative of Cruz Roja, who also explained that the long sea crossing in an open boat is an extraordinary and desperate measure and that it is not known just how many don’t make it.
Cruz Roja also pointed out that despite the controversy generated in the first moments because of comments by the conservative Councillor for Culture and Popular Traditions, Salvador Escudero, the passage of these 385 immigrants through the hotel facilities has been “pacific” and “without incidents.”
The comments made by the said councillor on local radio likened the immigrants to animals, stating, “We don’t know whether they are going to steal a car; it’s like a time bomb.”
Cruz Roja pointed out that the last thing that these immigrants want is to cause conflict – that’s what they fled from in many cases.
(News/Noticias: Torrox-Costa, Axarquia, Costa del Sol, Malaga, Andalucia – Photo: E.Cabezas)
Hmm. Choices were a bit limited. UK where it’s cold , Rainy and windy most of the time. Or The Falklands, where it’s worse, plus you might be caught up in a war.
Mind you, at least the food on offer would have be a tad tastier. Real lamb kebabs or curried meat perhaps ?
Julie: many thanks for that input. I was doing that from memory, which obviously failed me concerning the overall numbers.
Martin: I am old enough to remember and according to Wikipedia the UK Government
accepted 27,000 Asians from Uganda, not 2,000
“The British Government ultimately permitted 27,000 to move to the UK through the
Uganda Resettlement Board.Instead of allowing them to migrate to the UK, the
British government had initially sought agreement from its British overseas territories
to resettle them; however, only the Falkland Islands responded positively”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugandan_migration_to_the_United_Kingdom
Before I get dammed as a racist or whatever. I’m not saying every person from Uganda or Kenya had cash and interests already taken out of said countries; ditto Ukrainians, but it seems a lot of people did.
Perhaps they saw how the smoke was blowing or always sent cash to more stable areas. Who knows!
I do know that my Father worked his backside off 6 and 1/2 days a week in his business. Even with child labour, still couldn’t do as well as some.
I do recall those days. Unlike the much needed West Indians who came over and kept our nursing and transport infrastructure going, these people were kicked out of Uganda and Kenya. All penniless (?), but magically started up corner shops, chemists etc, on nothing!
Now some would point out that they were scapegoats of nasty regimes. Others would say that whilst the average poor African would walk to the store, others would drive past in their Mercs. This was seized upon, saying that they were actually a leech to the nation they had attached themselves financially too.
Not much changes with politics, be it Jews, blacks or some Asians. Shame we cannot keep to our promises to the Loyal Afghan military and their families!
This new immigration of peoples is nothing like the old; they really are destitute. Unless of course you’re a ‘poor’ Ukrainian, not fighting back home, but allegedly hiding your corrupt gains in Spain and Europe. nOf course there are many that are wronged.
But I do wonder how much the hotel chains in the UK and Europe charge for these people to be housed. Not your small, cheaper hotel chain by motorways I’m sure.
Julie: A valid point. I don’t know if you’re old enough to remember the Ugandan Asian Crisis in the 70s when the British Government took in around 2,000 persecuted Asians from that country after Idi Amin expelled them. The Government reopened mothballed RAF stations to house them and people at the time asked why the Government couldn’t do that for British homeless people.
That’s a very nice hotel. I don’t begrudge genuiune refugees seeking asylum
Now what about all the homelss people in Spain? Are they offered the same comfort
and food?